


Death Is Just A Bump In The Road (On My Way To You)

by Anonamagal



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Explicit Sexual Content, Fae Allura (Voltron), Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Major Character Undeath, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Phantom Lance, Romance, Sexual Tension, Soulmate elements, Supernatural Elements, True Love, Werewolf Keith (Voltron), Werewolf Shiro (Voltron), Witch Pidge | Katie Holt, demon hunk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:22:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 87,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22787131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonamagal/pseuds/Anonamagal
Summary: Lance thought he had everything he could ever want... and then he died, but it turned out that death didn't have to be the end.Keith never cared much about finding his mate, that was until fate (or a meddling fae) decided it didn't care what he wanted and presented him with one anyway, except what was he supposed to do with a dead mate.Apparently, fall in love.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 296
Kudos: 566





	1. Prologue  - An End.

**Author's Note:**

> I had initially started writing this last Halloween but dropped it for a bit to focus on my other fic, except i kept coming back to this one and thought why the hell not, I can keep up with two multi-chap stories (this one may have slower releases) but this will not be as long as my other one.  
> Any way here's the prologue I hope you enjoy :) x 
> 
> Also there is a minor use of homophobic language, a single slur, but a warning none the less.

Lance McClain lived for this environment; surrounded by friends and loved ones, being the centre of attention as he laughed up a storm and effortlessly coaxed others to join. He fluttered around the room jumping from one group to another, playing host and part time entertainer, greeting everyone with hugs and kisses.

It didn’t matter to Lance how long it had been since he’d last seen some of these people, they were family and it was Nochebuenas.

Tonight, was the night before Christmas and the McClain household was holding its annual party, and anyone who was anyone was in attendance because the McClains were known for throwing the best parties on this side of La Habana.

Nestled amongst large wooded grounds, the McClain manor stood tall and proud, as it had done for many generations, for the high society family that had worked their way up from slums to riches

Lance swirled his drink as he chatted jovially to a distant cousin when it happened. Lifting his glass to take a sip, he stopped when a commotion broke out at the entry way, frowning, Lance politely excused himself and weaved through the crowd, placing his half-finished daiquiri on the tray of a passing waiter as he passed, to investigate the noise.

‘Veronica!’ He called out when she finally came into view, her hands were flying all over the place, aggressive and agitated, and it put Lance on edge. V turned to him, her eyes wide and distraught and then over her shoulder, Lance saw the cause of his sister’s pain.

Oh no, not this cabrón.

James Griffin, heir to the nouveau riche Griffin Industries, who had embarked on a passionate affair with his sister before breaking her heart and her face when he’d gotten drunk and thrown multiple punches.

Naturally when Lance and his brothers had found out, they had gone to great lengths to use their name and power to shame the Griffin family, the McClains were a family that held a lot of respect in La Habana, so it was fairly easy to sink Griffin Industries before they’d truly had a chance to get a foothold.

Lance had been looking for an excuse to dismantle their production factory anyway, it was an eyesore but more importantly their hazard waste was contaminating the waters of La Habana forest, it was abhorrent and when Veronica had announced that she was dating the son of the family, he’d had his reservation about him.

He hated to be proven right, especially when it had hurt V so much.

It would seem that James had been made aware of his families struggles and was here to cause trouble. One look though and Lance could tell the other man was completely wasted, which had some serious alarm bells ringing in his head.

Striding forwards, he placed himself between his sister and James.

‘You’re not welcome here James, so why don’t you turn right around and leave before I call security to haul your ass out.’ Lance put across with a frigid amicability, he didn't want to lose his temper and aggravate a volatile situation, James had already proven he was a violent drunk, and the last thing Lance wanted to do was cause a fight and frighten his guests.

He heard his mama push through the gathering crowd and wrap a comforting arm around V’s shoulders, trying subtly to pull her away from the confrontation, but V was stubborn and fuming, she held her ground.

‘You destroyed our family, our reputation is in taters because of that whore.’ James spat, jerking his hand towards V. 

Anger burned though him and Lance dropped the polite smile, his face remained carefully blank though. Losing his temper now would help no one.

‘My sister is no whore. You are the one that cheated and humiliated her, you are the one that attacked her when she confronted you about it, you ruined your own family’s reputation with your careless and playboy ways.’ Lance stated clearly and evenly.

James snarled; his unfocused eyes flashed with something that set Lance on edge.

‘I know it was you that’s been messing with my father’s business, spreading lies to our investors and clients.’ James, with an unsteady hand he roughly jabbed his index finger against Lance’s chest, Lance frowned down at it, then up at James as he knocked the hand away. James’s lips curled up into a vicious smile. ‘And if I’m a playboy, Lance, then what does that make you? Slutting your way through half of Havana. I wonder if your family know that you’re a fag.’

Lance made a point to keep his expression disinterested, he didn’t want to give James the satisfaction. His liaisons were no secret, and his taste in both women and men was one of his worst kept secrets, he was not ashamed, so he just lifted a brow and said nothing.

Though, it seemed as if he needn’t have bothered anyway because V let out an unholy screech from behind him and tore herself free from their mama’s hold, she flew past Lance to shove at James chest.

‘You do not call my brother that, you have no right to come here and accuse us of things in such a state. Get out, Cabrón! Leave and never come back here.’ She screamed in his face.

Lance saw it before anyone else, the glint of silver as James pulled something out of his suit jacket, and Lance acted before his brain could make sense of what was about to happen. He grabbed his sister’s wrist and yanked her back behind him and his breath stuttered when cold steel was plunged into his chest.

There was a moment of shocked silence and as the first scream rang out, the pain erupted in his chest. The knife was yanked out with a sickening rip and when Lance looked into James eyes, all he saw was madness. The knife was brought down again, and it sunk down to the hilt, he gasped, too shocked for anything else.

Arms grabbed him from behind to pull him away but not before the knife was plunged in a third time, the knife was twisted and this time Lance choked out a cry, the pain so intense it left him breathless.

He went with the grasping hands, stumbling back into waiting arms, Jame's hand, slick with Lance’s blood, slipped from the hilt of the blade, leaving the blade buried in Lance’s chest. Blood bubbled around the edges of the steel, and seeped down, red spread across his once pristine white dress shirt.

He collapsed against his sister, and she lowered them to the floor, her cries were like screams in his ears, she was calling his name and screaming for help and Lance wanted nothing more than to reassure her but blood was filling his throat and he was choking. 

Firm hands pressed against the open wounds and Lance convulsed from the pain, his cry was a garbled mess as blood spilled from between his lips. He could barely breath and a chill was beginning to wash over him.

He watched with fading consciousness as James got tackled to the floor by his eldest brother, taking a swift but effective punch to the side of the head, knocking him clean out.

The floor became slick with his blood, his sister was shaking with tears and Lance knows. He’s going to die. And there is a moment of calm in his own mind, where everything around him slows down and sounds disappear. A vase of fresh blue roses was knocked over in the panic and his fading vision is awash with blue petals.

How beautiful and bittersweet was the scene, he finds himself smiling as his eyes slide closed and he takes his last gurgled breath.

_At least Veronica was safe._ He thought to himself. _But I don't want to die._ Tears welled up in his eyes and overflowed. _I'm not ready._ The tears trailed down to mix with the pool of blood growing out underneath him. _Please..._

Lance McClain died in the arms of his sister and mother, on Nochebuenas, surrounded by friends and family.

How bittersweet. 


	2. Chapter One - Mi casa es su casa

Keith stared up at the manor questionably. It was a mess. Abandoned and derelict, buried amongst an overgrown and unkept forest. Sure, it could be fixed up easily, money was no issue for them, and the property boasted plenty of roaming lands which was perfect for them.

But something was bothering him.

He turned his attention to the estate agent and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. The woman gulped audibly, her lashes fluttering in a way that he guessed was supposed to be alluring, he could smell the acrid scent of lust as she watched the both of them. He’d noticed that since meeting with her a few of the buttons of her blouse had mysteriously come undone, offering a teasing glimpse at her bra.

She was barking up the wrong tree.

‘Why’s it so cheap?’ He snapped, interrupting the woman’s rehearsed spiel. She jumped, startled, she licked her lips and Keith’s scowl deepened. He was going to get a migraine from the effort it took not to roll his eyes.

‘As you can see it’s in quite a state of disrepair and we’ve had this property on our listing for the last ten years.’ She explained.

‘And what’s the real reason?’ He growled the question, daring her to hide the truth from him, she stuttered nervously.

‘Some people would claim… that it’s haunted,’ She laughed lightly. ‘Of course, that’s ridiculous, but the house does have a tragic history, so people became spooked.’

‘Tragic history?’ Shiro asked this time, he gave Keith a warning look and turned a polite smile to the estate agent who seemed more then pleased to turn her attention to him. She had, after all been salivating after him since the moment she first saw him, so it was no surprise to him to see her subtly adjusting her blouse to expose more of her lacy bra. He scoffed and pointedly looked away.

‘Up until fifty years ago the house belonged to the McClain's, a powerful and well-respected family in Havana, their youngest son was murdered during a party in full view of everyone. Their grief was too much, so they sold the property. People have come and gone, each claiming they were driven out by the ghost of the murdered son and because of that it’s gained a bit of a reputation, so nobody wants it and in all honesty we just want to get rid of it.’

‘In that case, we’ll take it off your hands.’ Shiro said, kindly. Keith glanced over to the woman to see she had lit up like a damn Christmas tree, her hands clasped together tightly over her chest as she smiled brightly up at Shiro like he was her hero. Which Keith found hilarious, given exactly what Shiro was, what they both were. She wouldn't be batting her eye lashes so easily if she knew the truth. 

Keith looked back to the manor and sighed. It really was a state, and it didn’t appeal to him to live here, but with the situation as it was, they needed a base, a place that offered privacy and proximity to the witch’s crib and the Fae’s domain. This manor sat directly between the two.

And besides, Allura had told them they needed to buy this house in particular, and anyone who was anyone in the supernatural world knew that if Allura suggested something, it was in your best interest to listen.

So here they were, Shiro was smiling up at the manor as if he was seeing something that Keith couldn’t – potential.

But Shiro could see the good in anything, even after his time in captivity under the Vampires.

After two hundred years of searching for his brother he’d finally found him tied to the bottom of the ocean deep in vampire territory. With his hands and feet clamped together with silver pitons - and though silver wasn’t fatal to werewolves, it did drain them of energy - but it wasn’t the pins that kept him docile while he repeatedly drowned to death, it was the heavy dose of liquid silver being periodically injected into him. 

Keith was reluctant to deny him anything after all that.

And it had felt good to let the beast loose when he had hunted and killed every vampire involved with Shiro’s imprisonment, it had been cathartic to tear their throats out with his teeth before ripping their heads clean from their bodies. The only true way of killing an immortal.

‘Great, I’ll get the papers in orders and we can sign the deeds over, once all that's done the keys are yours. Shall we?’ She gestured towards the two cars in the driveway and Shiro nodded amicably, he turned to Keith.

‘Coming Keith?’

Keith thought about going back to the stuffy office that was dripping in noxious scents of thirst and perfume and grimaced. He shook his head.

‘I think I’ll take a run; I’ll meet you back here when you’ve got the keys.’

‘Alright, I’ll see you soon.’

‘Sure.’

He watched Shiro and the woman walk to their cars, he crossed his arms over his chest and waited until they’d driven off before getting ready to start running, the surrounding woods looked like good territory and he was just itching to explore it, he’d also need to get started on marking the boundary for when Pidge came to install the protection wards.

Before he could set off though something caught his attention. His head snapped up to look up at the window on the far right of the manor, it was only for a moment, but he had definitely seen it, there’d been movement.

Someone was in the manor.

He looked over his shoulder to see both cars were now out of sight, so he turned back to the manor and headed up the front porch stairs. The paint chipped doors were sealed with a chunky chain and a heavy padlock but with a sharp yank the metal snapped, and he let it fall to the floor with a heavy clang. He shoved the doors open and waved a hand in front of his face to disperse the cloud of dust.

It smelt musty with years of stagnant air, mould, and rotting floorboards that creaked ominously under his weight as he moved cautiously into the foyer. He frowned down at a large questionable brown stain spread across the wooden slats before stepping across it. He stopped to listen but heard nothing except for the creaks and groans of the old house.

A grand staircase in the centre of the room curved up and around to the second floor and each step felt ready to collapse under him. Everything would have to be replaced, no question about it, they may as well tear the manor down and rebuild it from scratch.

At the top of the stairs he stopped again to listen, nothing out of the ordinary caught his attention but there was something new in the air now, an intoxicating scent that guided his feet for him, taking him directly to the room where he had seen the movement.

His beast was pacing, he seemed… excited? Anxious? Keith couldn’t really explain it, so he pushed the door open and found… it was empty.

But despite this, the scent was everywhere, the room completely saturated in it, his beast stopped pacing and perked up with a desperate and confused whine. Keith silently observed the room before crossing the threshold to investigate. It was empty of any furniture except for a small pile of things in the corner just under the window seat.

As he got closer, he could see that it was a random collection of knick knacks; a hair comb encrusted with blue gems, a rosary, engraved cufflinks, a journal, a blue cat plushie and a set of keys. Curious, he leaned down to pick something up but jerked to a stop when he was buffeted by a gust of wind and something solid hit him in the back.

He straightened and spun on his heels, his beast reared up but instead of going on the defensive, because he was definitely picking up some pretty strong negative feelings, it whined pathetically.

And it may have had something to do with the way he was awash with that heady scent, it was in front of him and all around him, it was all he could smell, and despite the potential threat he faced, Keith found himself relaxing. It was indescribable, and even though he was thoroughly confused, he felt oddly thrilled and even more odd, soothed.

He relaxed his stance and focused his gaze on where the scent was strongest.

‘I won’t touch your stuff, so why don’t you calm down.’ He said gently. There was no doubt that someone was there, and if there wasn’t then there was no one around to see him talking to himself like an idiot.

The oppressive anger faded almost immediately, and Keith could taste the surprise in the air, it tinged the air with something warm.

‘I can’t see or hear you, but I know you’re there so listen to me, please. My brother and I, we need this house, I know we’re intruding on what you feel is yours, but we need a home, this place is perfect for us and our needs. We won’t try to make you leave, or banish you but we won’t leave either, you’ll find we are lot harder to frighten off then the humans you’ve scared out before, so I hope we can learn to live together peacefully.’

When he finished talking, he kept his eyes glued to the centre of the scent, it didn’t move but it wasn’t attacking either, so he supposed that was a good thing. The ghost, and he was certain that what it was, moved around him slowly, Keith followed the scent with his eyes. Wary and waiting.

One of the trinkets began to move and Keith raised a brow, this was no low-level ghost, interacting with physical objects required a lot of innate power, this person must have been brimming with life before they died.

The cufflinks hovered in front of his face, Keith frowned and read the engravings.

_L.M._

He frowned in confusion and shrugged. A tang of bitter exasperation crossed his nose and Keith grimaced. As if Keith was supposed to understand what two letters meant, he was about to grumble as such when the cufflinks were thrown back into the corner and something pressed into his chest.

Keith froze, his beast wanted him to push closer, to keep the phantom contact going for as long as possible, but it was impossible, the ghost could interact with him, but Keith had no way of touching back. And he couldn’t understand why that was such a damn shame. His beast seemed to know what the deal was, but he was notoriously hard to understand sometimes.

The finger on his chest moved and Keith concentrated on the touch, he followed the movements.

L. A. N. C. E.

‘…Lance.’ Keith said quietly. The pressure on his chest twitched as if in surprise and after a hesitant pause four more points of contact joined the first before they spread out and he felt what must have been the ghost's palm press against his chest, just over his heart.

The beast whined pitifully under the touch.

_Not enough. Not enough. More. Why can’t we feel them? MORE!_

Keith was slowly beginning to understand something, and he wasn’t sure how he should feel about it, because if his suspicions were correct, and judging by his beast’s behaviour since catching Lance’s scent it was likely to be true, then it was possible he might have found his mate.

And… his mate was dead.

His heart stuttered painfully, and he itched to grasp the hand against his chest, but he knew he couldn’t. Shit. What did this mean? And why was his beast not tearing him apart with grief. He’d known many werewolves who had lost their mates and the grief had been too much for them to handle, he’d seen them lose any vestige of humanity they had left and give themselves over to the beast.

His beast was desperate and confused, as if it didn’t realise that Lance was dead.

What were the chances that he’d find his mate here and now…? A realisation seemed to dawn over Keith and he sighed.

Allura. Of course.

He stepped back and out of the reach of Lance, the air in front of Keith went bitter again and Keith hated to be the one to make it so, but he needed answers.

‘Sorry Lance, I need to go, but I’ll be back.’ He added quickly before the scent could grow too sour. ‘Listen. If my brother gets back before I do can you try not to freak him out before I can explain, he’s been through some stuff and I don’t want either of you to get hurt.’

Amusement. And Keith chuckled, ‘I know he can’t hurt you, but I also don’t want him calling Pidge over to banish you.’ That certainly dulled the warmth of Lance’s amusement, and Keith felt guilty. ‘I don’t think that that’s likely to happen,’ He quickly amended. ‘but just in case please keep your distance from Shiro until I’ve told him about you.’

There was a shift in the air and Lance’s scent began to fade, travelling up through the ceiling until all that remained was the ghost of his scent.

The beast clamoured in agitation. ‘I know.’ Keith growled. ‘But Allura owes me some answers.’

He spun on his heel and left the room and as soon as he was free of the house, he took off at a dead sprint to find the oracle Fae, Allura.

*** 

Lance had no idea what to make of the situation. One moment he’d been floating through the manor aimlessly, reading out loud an old erotica novel that one of the previous tenants had left behind in their haste to leave (it had been nothing but a few harmful pranks, there had been no need to summon that hack priest to try and exorcise him, though his efforts had been amusing).

And the next moment he can feel a presence just on the outskirts of his property.

He dropped the book with a thud and a cloud of dust and floated straight through the floor to his old bedroom, he sat on the window seat and moved the curtain aside to look down over the front yard.

There were three people, all looking up at the manor, in varying looks of wary, hopeful and well, the lady only had eyes for the muscle-bound man, not that he could blame her because damn. But he found his own gaze settling on the other man, he looked mildly unimpressed, his gaze was critical, and Lance found himself growing defensive.

Sure, his manor wasn’t as resplendent as it had once been, he wasn’t blind to the passage of time and its effects on the building, but there was only so much Lance could do in this disembodied state, and no one had ever stayed long enough to give it some love.

And Lance hadn’t meant to drive them out, it’s just that he’d been lonely for such a long time and he was, and had always been, a social person, but his only means of communication was moving objects and leaving messages on steamed up glass.

Personally, he didn’t think there was anything menacing about writing ‘Bienvenido a mi casa’ on a steamy glass shower partition, there really had been no reason to scream so loudly.

Either way, no one had stayed long, and the manor had suffered for it.

The lady and the beefier of the two men left and the remaining one looked around for a moment before his head shot up to look at Lance’s window, he let the curtain fall and pressed his hands to his chest in surprise. He peeked under the curtain again, only the man was gone. Lance sat up straight in alarm. He heard a clatter downstairs as someone broke through the chain on the front door and the sound of the front doors creaking open which had Lance hurriedly popping his head through the floor to investigate. The man was coming up the stairs, the floor creaking with every step.

Lance shot back up and panicked, he looked down at his clothes and grimaced at the bloodstained suit, he’d gotten used to it of course but it didn’t mean he liked seeing it, it was a shame he couldn’t change, and not just because he didn’t want the gruesome reminder of his own death, but also because this suit was horribly outdated.

And then he felt a bit silly. He was a ghost, the guy wouldn’t be able to see him so what did it matter what he looked like… he was dead, it didn’t matter to anyone anymore.

In his moment of melancholy, he began to drift up towards the ceiling. Whenever he was struck with the feeling of existential crisis he’d hide out in the attic which he tried to avoid since it always made him feel worse, because it always reminded him that he was forgotten.

Tucked at the back of the attic was a large collection of Lance’s old belongings, hidden there by his family before they left the manor for good, they hadn’t wanted a reminder of him, and it had been devastating.

They had wanted to forget him.

And no one had ever stayed long enough to explore the attic so there all his stuff had sat, gathering dust and mildew. It was heart breaking to see the evidence of passing time. How long must it have been now? It was always so hard to tell with no way to mark the passing days, except for the occasional out of date newspaper.

Before he could disappear through the ceiling, his bedroom door swung open and Lance paused, struck. Holy crow. He floated down slowly, hovering just out of the guy’s sight and gazed at him in wonder.

He’d spent time with many beautiful people during his life, but this guy… they all paled in comparison. He was rugged looking, his hair all black and silky looking, the kind of hair that was just begging Lance to run his hands through. He had thick dark brows bowed heavily over the most amazing violet eyes. And a strong jaw, decorated with a long scar that ended half way up his cheek.

And Lance could easily make out the definition of those arms through the leather jacket, he could imagine just how defined the rest of him was too.

The guy walked further into the room, body tensed and cautious, as if he was ready to attack if provoked, his eyes were wary, but despite his intimidating airs, he was approaching Lance’s family mementos and Lance was not OK with that.

They were all he had left of his family.

With a concentrated effort and an angry yell he shoved at the stranger and a gust of unnatural wind buffeted the man’s back, he stumbled forwards, his hair whipping around his head as he spun on the spot with narrowed eyes until they landed firmly on Lance. The moment their eyes met; the wind died a sudden death as his anger faded to awe.

Lance floated back in surprise, the man had no fear in his eyes, and it threw him off kilter. It had been so long since anyone had looked at him and he almost drifted forwards to close the distance between them when he noticed the man’s eyes shift away, still on him but as if he was just guessing that Lance was there.

So, the man couldn’t really see him, the disappointment was crushing, and he was tempted to leave when the man spoke.

And that was… something. They’d spoken, or rather the man had spoken to him and though Lance had tried to speak back it was obvious he couldn’t hear him. When the stranger had whispered his name, Lance was sure that is he had a heart it would have stuttered ridiculously.

He hadn’t heard his name in such a long time, with his family gone, no one knew about him, and for a long while Lance had forgotten, it was easy to do. Until one day, after weeks of trying, Lance had finally manipulated a solid object. Turning the page of a book that had been left open on its first page. He hadn’t bothered trying before, but he’d read and reread the same page over and over and he really wanted to know what happened next.

And it had worked, at the beginning it required a lot of effort to keep flipping the pages but eventually he got so adept at it that he could read the book cover to cover effortlessly.

After that he’d touched everything, and though he couldn’t technically feel it, he could make himself just tangible enough that he didn’t immediately go through things. Although he had later learned that he didn’t need to touch things to make them move, he just liked to remind himself that he was real sometimes, even if he was dead.

It was when he’d been riffling through his things in the attic that Lance had found his journal. He’d brushed his fingers over the scrawling script that had been his handwriting and seen the familiar name. It had terrified him to realise that he’d forgotten his own identity and made it a habit to study his journal routinely and say his name aloud every so often.

The stranger had looked at him oddly after that and with a warning that had had Lance trailing up to the attic he watched from the small window as the man sprinted unhesitatingly into the forest. With a sigh, Lance drifted down and over to the damp and mouldy chaise lounge that had once been in his room and reclined across it. He brought his hand up, ignoring the translucent quality and instead puzzling over the feeling that still lingered.

No matter how many things Lance had touched, he’d never felt them; not the grainy texture of wood, or the softness of fabric, he couldn’t feel the chill of his mother’s rosary whenever her held it in his fingers or the warmth of the sun on the window pane when he tried to soak in some sunlight.

But he hadn’t been imagining it. When his hand had been pressed to the stranger’s chest, where he had indulgently soaked up the feeling of the guy's strong, living heartbeat, he’d also felt warmth.

What did it mean?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :) x


	3. Chapter Two - Hell Hath No Fury Like A Lance Scorned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith confronts a Fae, and Lance confronts a wolf.

Keith used his supernatural strength to vault over the imposing gates that surrounded the Fae’s compound, but it seemed Allura had been expecting him. She sat on the porch of her home, under an umbrella, even though it was clear blue skies as far as the eye could see, and was wearing a horrendous tie die t-shirt that said “So, Howl’s it going?”

He rolled his eyes as he approached her. 'Very funny.' He said in way of greeting.

‘Keith! I made welcome cookies; I was going to pass by for a visit but decided it was just much easier to wait for you to come to me. Come, they’re still warm.’ She picked up a plate of cookies that were sitting by her lap and presented them to Keith.

He eyed the cookies suspiciously. Everyone trusted Allura implicitly, her cooking however, not so much. She huffed after a moment of Keith’s silent scrutiny. ‘Hunk made them.’ She admitted with a grumble.

Keith swiped up a handful of them, shoving one of them in his mouth whole. God damn, a fucking bite size piece of heaven.

‘So… how do you like the new place?’ She asked, grinning impishly.

‘It’s horrible and falling apart.’ He bit out. ‘But you know that’s not what I’m here to talk about.’ Her grin turned naughty.

‘Of course, of course… So, spill the deets? I’ve been so excited for this meeting.’

‘He’s dead.’

Allura’s smile froze in place and Keith bit into another cookie while he waited for her to catch up. She jumped to her feet so fast she was a blur and began frantically pacing the porch, muttering to herself under her breath.

She stopped suddenly.

‘I’m sorry, he’s so full of life it didn’t occur to me that he was dead at this time, it can be so hard to keep track of peoples timelines, but it’s going to be ok, Keith, he won’t always be dead.’

‘Dead is dead, Allura, he has been dead for the last fifty years.’ Allura scoffed and Keith bristled, this was his mate he was talking about and Allura was being too flippant.

‘Resurrection is a thing.’ She threw out with a wave of her hand.

‘At a very steep cost and no promise that it’ll actually work.’ Often, attempted resurrections ended in disaster. Keith had heard of cases where people were bought back with no flesh, or in half states of decomposition, some were bought back feeling listless and lost and always ended up killing themselves eventually and in the worst case scenarios, and unfortunately the most common case, the body was resurrected without the soul attached and ghouls were born. 

Besides, everyone knows you never make a bargain with the Sorcerers capable of such magic because somehow you always ended up losing out. 

‘What am I supposed to do with a dead mate, it’s a miracle that my wolf is too dumb to realise he’s dead, but once he catches up the fall out will tear me apart.’ He growled.

‘Your wolf isn’t the dumb one, Keith, you are. Use this time to get to know him, learn about him, it will make him happy I promise, and when he decides not to be dead anymore, boom,’ She slapped her hands together, ‘happy endings all around.’

Oh sure, when Lance decided he was tired of being dead, because that’s clearly how that worked. Allura was never wrong but the trouble with Allura’s foresight was that she sees so many different paths at any given moment that she tended to skip straight to the ending, leaving you with a whole bunch of blanks and no clear path on how to reach that ending.

But if Allura was ever called out on it, she would just wave you off and yell “Spoilers!’ before diving into a portal to the Fae Wild Plane where no one would hope of following her unless they wanted to go insane.

Keith knew if he pushed too much, he was going to get the same treatment, but Keith knew he couldn’t push because he owed her too much. Without her help he never would have found Shiro, so he swallowed back the growl that was building in the back of his throat and took a step back.

Allura had paid a heavy price for trying to use her visions to find Shiro, seeing the past, present and future at all times takes a heavy toll on anyone, for Allura, it meant she was always on the brink of insanity. To manage it without losing her mind she had to limit what she saw at any given time, catching snippets and piecing it together like a puzzle, which meant she had so many puzzles on the go constantly.

To find Shiro she’d had to untangle a lot of visions and the two weeks following her help she had gone completely loopy, living either in the future or the past but never in the present, he remembered coming by to visit to tell her that he had found Shiro. He had found her pacing her room, her eyes unfocused, her hair had been a tangle of half-finished braids from which her four mice had been hanging from, and spewing a steady stream of incoherent nonsense. 

He was reluctant to push her that close to the edge again. 

‘Fine, I’ll figure it out myself.’ He swiped the rest of the cookies from Allura and spun on his heel to leave.

‘Tell Lance I said hi.’ She cooed at his retreating back.

The moment he stepped back onto the grounds of his and Shiro's new manor something put him on edge, a sixth sense he’d developed over time that told him his brother was agitated. He dropped the plate of cookies and bolted for the manor, he crashed through the front doors and found Shiro standing in the middle of the lobby, eyes darting all over the place and his lip turned up in a threatening sneer.

Keith sniffed at the air and instantly recognised Lance’s scent and relaxed.

‘Stay back Keith, there’s something lurking in the house.’ Shiro ordered when he spotted Keith, his head darted back towards the living area when the scent spiked hotly in indignation.

‘Shiro, I need you to calm down,’ Shiro did not calm down. ‘Shit. Lance…’ He looked around the room until he thought his gaze had landed on the ghost. ‘…I need you to give Shiro and I a moment so I can explain.’ The scent was still bitter. ‘Please.’ He tacked on. There was a moment where nothing happened and then both he and Shiro were buffeted by a strong angry wind that had the moth bitten curtains and dust sheets whipping against the floors and walls.

Lance’s anger smelt like a storm and Keith’s knees nearly crumbled under the weight that was directed towards him. Shiro bared his teeth with a threatening growl.

There was a loud crack of thunder outside that startled them both and then Lance’s scent abruptly disappeared. An edge of panic crept up his throat at the sudden absence of Lance’s smell, unnerved and concerned that Lance had the ability to completely disappear from him. Teeth clenched together he forced himself to face Shiro rather then follow his instincts to run upstairs and see if Lance was still here.

‘Lance?’ Shiro asked, face twisted with confusion. ‘Please explain… now?’ Keith sighed deeply, curbing the frustration that was steadily growing.

‘Yeah, I was hoping to be back before you so I could warn you.’ Keith glanced back up at the ceiling, nervous. 

‘That we have a spirit haunting the house I just bought.’

‘To be fair that lady did tell us it could be haunted.’ Keith argued weakly.

‘Keith.’ Shiro prompted with an arched brow. Keith sighed.

‘His name is Lance; I’m going to assume he’s the murdered son that lady was talking about… also he’s my…’ He looked around the room anxiously, wondering if Lance was listening in. ‘…he’s my Adam.’ He whispered the last part but Shiro understood immediately.

‘He’s your…?’ Keith nodded slowly. Shiro blanched. ‘But he’s…’

‘Yep, I had noticed.’ He said bitterly.

‘How?’

‘I don’t know, I tried asking Allura, but you know I can’t ask her for too much, not after what I caused her to go through before.’ He looked up at Shiro to see him looking down in contrition. ‘I don’t regret asking her for her help,’ he said rapidly, ‘it might have taken another hundred years without it, I’m sorry she suffered for it but she also knew the risks, and she risked it anyway, and not just because I asked, but because you’re her friend too.’

‘I shouldn’t have let myself get captured in the first place… two hundred years Keith, wasted.’ Shiro ran a hand over his face, fatigue still plagued him after all his deaths and resurrections, it would take a while before he felt anything close to normal. Keith looked down.

‘I would never have stopped searching for you, nothing short of true death would stop me…’ He bit his lip as he thought about what else he’d been searching for. ‘And… I continued searching for him Shiro, the time wasn’t wasted because I kept looking.’ Shiro’s surprise was kind of insulting.

‘Really? But you hate Adam.’ Keith glanced away and felt his face warm a little.

‘I don’t _hate_ him, he’s annoying and a huge asshole, but I guess he’s alright for a Sorcerer.’ He sighed, his shoulders dropping. ‘My problem was that he was your mate, I didn’t trust him not to hurt you - I mean, the bastard did string you along for a few decades before finally accepting your feelings – and also because a mate is a huge weakness, I mean look what it did to Kolivan.’ Shiro tilted his head in confusion.

‘What did it do to Kolivan? As far as I’m aware he and his mate are still together and happy.’

‘They are, but he was our clans most fierce warrior, he was always cool, calm and collected, no matter the situation. But since he found his mate he went soft.’ Shiro frowned in thought before shaking his head.

‘Keith, just last week I saw Kolivan tear through an ambush of vampires with only his claws.’

‘Not what I meant, I know he’s still strong, I just meant that his face went all soft.’

‘Do you mean… that he started smiling more.’ Keith pointed at Shiro like he had found the point entirely. 

‘Yes! And it’s weird.’ He shuddered. His whole life he had known Kolivan to be the stoic figure who was old as fuck and knew everything. ‘While you were missing, he petted my head, like I was a pup or something.’ Shiro snorted. ‘It’s not funny.’ Keith snapped, truly alarmed. ‘I was too shocked to do anything, so I just let him and now every time I see any of the others, they think it’s ok to pet me.’ This only seemed to make Shiro laugh harder. ‘Don’t laugh, I am a warrior, it’s embarrassing to be treated like a pup.’

‘You are a pup in their eyes.’ Shiro explained, through some chuckles.

‘I’m three hundred and forty-eight years old, you dick.’

‘Exactly, a pup. You’ve only lived a fraction of Kolivan’s lifespan. He’ll be turning two thousand and five this year…’ Shiro winced as something suddenly occurred to him. ‘But you didn’t hear that from me, you wouldn’t think it, but he’s very sensitive about his age.’ Keith made no promises and judging by Shiro’s put out expression he knew it. ‘The point is, he’s lived a very long life, longer than most werewolves and it can be a lonely existence, so I’m not surprised Kolivan is happy, you and I are lucky to have found our mates so early in our lives.’

‘Oh yeah, we’re so very lucky because my mate is currently deceased, and yours has been missing for almost two hundred and fifty years.’

‘I know that our situations look bleak but… I will find Adam, I know I will, and you will find a way to be with Lance.’

‘Who says I even want a mate anyway.’ Keith snapped, he ran an agitated hand through his hair and started pacing, the creaking floor protesting his every step. ‘I’ve seen what it does to people, perfectly good warriors succumb to their beasts and become wild animals because their mates either rejected them or died.' He pointed at Shiro, 'I’ve seen what Adam’s absence has done to you, you’re one of the strongest people I know, but you got captured by vampires because you were distracted.’ He stopped pacing to face Shiro, swallowing down the guilt when he saw how ashen Shiro looked. ‘I just don’t see how Lance and I could possibly have a happy ending.’

‘If you have that attitude about it then of course you won’t have a happy ending.’ Shiro snapped. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he said anything else. ‘Some things take work and patience, Adam didn’t accepted me straight away, I chased him for two decades before he finally opened himself up to the possibility of us, I didn’t give up on him or on us and having him by my side… there aren’t words that could possibly describe how happy it made me to have him by my side but let’s just say the outcome was worth it.’

‘But how do you stop from falling apart?’ Keith questioned earnestly. ‘How do you stop your wolf from tearing you apart every full moon you spend separated from him? How do you still believe, after all this time, that he’s alive?’ Keith wanted to stop asking, the pain that Shiro had always kept carefully tucked away was swimming openly in his eyes.

‘Adam is as old as me, he survived for centuries in the Dusk Planes, thrived even, so I know he doesn’t need me to protect him, I miss him, every day for the last two and half centuries, but I know Adam is powerful and where ever he is I know he’s alive because, my wolf and I, we believe in our mate’s power.’

Keith slumped were he stood, looking down at the floor to offer Shiro a moment to collect himself. He was being such an ass, projecting his insecurities and lashing out at Shiro like this, the man had been through enough and Keith was dragging it all back up because he just couldn’t deal.

He bit his bottom lip and peeked up at Shiro from under his bangs. Shiro was staring fixatedly on the wall over Keith’s head, his eyes glassy and his face pinched painfully as if he were desperately trying to fight back the urge to break down. Oh shit. His body jerked forwards and he opened his mouth but found he didn’t know what to say, so he closed it again and sighed, ruffling a hand through his hair angrily.

‘Keith,’ Shiro said quietly. He lifted his face and Shiro’s expression was smoothed over again, the pain carefully tucked away to offer Keith some comfort. Comfort he didn’t really feel he deserved right now. ‘I know you’re scared, you wouldn’t be the first wolf to be scared after finding their mate, especially when that mate is another creature entirely, they don’t have the same instincts we do so there’s always the risk of rejection.’

‘What if their mate is already dead when they meet them? What do they do then?’

‘Your situation may be entirely unique.’ Shiro admitted with a wince. ‘But, Allura wouldn’t have orchestrated this meeting if she thought it would hurt you.’ Shiro tried to reason. But then a thought occurred to Keith and his stomach bottomed out in dread.

‘What if… what if this is revenge.’ Keith asked slowly. ‘What if she hasn’t forgiven me for what I made her go through, you know how dangerous the Fae can be when they hold a grudge. Oh Fenrir! That’s what this is! To find my mate but never be with them, it’s the worst kind of punishment for a werewolf. She hates me.’ It made so much sense.

‘Don’t be ridiculous Keith.’ Shiro reeled back, incredulous, laughing from sheer surprise at where Keith’s thoughts had taken him. ‘Allura would never… not to you Keith. Like you said, she knew the risk she was taking, and if she wasn’t willing to take the chance she would have said no.’

‘But what if…’

‘Stop.’ Shiro barked. ‘Allura cares about you, she’s the reason you survived when your clan was… she saved you and for that she will have my full loyalty. She wouldn’t hurt you like this Keith. Trust me.’

Logically he knew this. He looked down at the ground and took a shuddering breath in.

‘I just can’t see how this will end well.’

‘You’ve always had trouble seeing the bigger picture, patience yields focus Keith, give it time and the answer will come.’ Shiro closed the distance between them and dragged Keith into a bone-crushing hug. Immediately he buried his face into Shiro’s neck and inhaled, the brotherly pack scent that had soothed him so many times in the past didn’t fail him now and he sagged in Shiro’s arms with a shaky sigh.

He’d missed this. During Shiro’s absence Keith felt like he was always one step away from unravelling, stress and fear and loneliness putting him at odds with his wolf, he felt the constant itch under his skin that usually only came during a Shift, where his wolf had been lurking, ready to take over should Keith fall.

Shiro was the leader of the largest pack that had ever existed, with forces and colonies spread out all over the world, and for some reason, during his absence they had all turned to him to fill in. He couldn’t understand it, Kolivan would have been a natural choice, but even Kolivan had deferred to him.

It would probably make sense if Keith was Shiro’s real brother… but he wasn’t.

‘Oh no.’ Shiro gasped. Keith broke out of his thoughts and yanked back from the hug to get a better look at the panic on Shiro’s face.

‘What?’ He demanded.

‘What kind of first impression must I have made… I almost Shifted in front of my little brother’s mate, he probably thinks I’m a monster.’ Shiro looked properly alarmed by this. ‘I should apologise.’ He decided, looking ready to charge upstairs and do just that.

‘Let me talk to him first… he was pretty angry that I sent him away.’ Keith sniffed at the air and frowned, Lance’s scent wasn’t completely absent anymore, but it was still faint, it was sharp with annoyance and tinged with something mellow that brought an ache to his chest.

Lance was sad.

He sucked in a breath and detached from Shiro, he mumbled something distractedly to him but if pressed he wouldn’t be able to remember what it was. His body took over, carrying him upstairs to the room where he’d first met Lance, he needed to comfort his mate.

***

Lance had meant to do as the stranger had asked and hide out in the attic until he got back, he had plenty to mull over until then but then he’d remembered that this was his house and mister grizzled and handsome wasn’t the boss of him.

Expecting Lance McClain to lurk in the attic like some common ghoul. No thank you. He may be a ghost now, but he was far too pretty to be haunting a dark and dingy attic.

And besides, Lance had always been curious by nature so when the beefy specimen that his beautiful stranger had called… Shiro, entered the house, he’d immediately flown through the two floors to investigate.

At first nothing had happened, the man with the white hair and the scar running across the middle of his face, stood in the foyer looking around.

‘Keith?’ He called out. Keith? Must be the name of the other man.

‘Keith.’ Lance sounded out aloud, not concerned that the man would hear him. ‘Keith.’ He said again because he liked the way it sounded.

When he turned his attention back to Shiro he startled back, floating up into a corner in surprise because Shiro was looking roughly in his direction, his eyes narrowed in caution.

Could this guy sense him as well? What were the chances? And how? He’d been too elated to really question it before, but Keith had spoken to him like he wasn’t at all fazed that he was talking to a ghost.

Who the hell were these guys?

‘Who’s there?’ Shiro called out. And Lance was too excited to really read into the tense line of Shiro form or the growl in his voice, he threw himself towards Shiro with a big grin.

‘Hi.’ He rushed out, his echoey voice somewhat shrill with excitement. Two people could tell he was there. Two people in the whole world knew he existed. ‘I’m Lance.’

He didn’t think Shiro had heard him, much like Keith hadn’t, but Shiro still reacted to Lance’s sudden proximity, and Lance felt like maybe he had made a mistake. What was it that Keith had warned him about?

An inhuman savage snarl ripped out from Shiro and his face twisted into to something almost feral, Lance caught a flash of fangs as he darted away in shock, taking refuge near the ceiling. From further away he could see the way Shiro was half crouched as if ready to attack, and right before Lance’s eyes, he saw something animalistic flicker over Shiro’s face, like a projection overlaid perfectly over his human face.

‘What the heck!?’ Lance cried out, hovering well out of reach. Shiro shook his head and steadied his glazed gaze until it was focused on his corner of the room. He inched up a little higher, not that he was scared or anything, he was already dead, there was nothing that Shiro could do that would hurt him but if he tried Lance was pretty sure he could stop him.

It was short-sighted of him to assume that he might be the only supernatural being around, he’d never really thought about it before, but now as he watched the same eery afterimage pass over Shiro’s face as another snarl spewed forward, there was no way that Shiro was entirely human.

And if Shiro was something inhuman and he was Keith’s brother, then that must mean that Keith was something else too.

Maybe that was why they could both sense him. Maybe they were like him?

He drifted cautiously closer, hands up and ready to throw Shiro across the room if he had to.

‘What are you?’ He asked slowly, not really expecting an answer. He received a growl in response, though he assumed it was due to his growing proximity rather then anything he said.

This lack of communication was going to be a pain in the ass. Lance was a talker, he loved talking to people, but he hadn’t had anyone to talk to in so long and now he had two guys who knew he was here and they couldn’t hear a damn thing he was saying.

Was this another punishment?

He could touch but he suspected this guy wouldn’t be as receptive to his touch as Keith had been, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to risk it, if this guy was not human, there was no knowing what he could do.

Hadn’t Keith said something about Shiro knowing someone that could banish him? He retreated again, alarmed by the idea. If there was one thing that still truly frightened Lance, it was the idea of vanishing completely.

It was bad enough that he had to experience the threat of it every other week. He tried to shy away from the half memories he had retained from those nights, the loss of control, the clouded thoughts, the haunting sounds of laughter and cheer, the raucous at the door, his sister’s rising voice…

…The agonising pain in his chest as a phantom blade was plunged in over and over until the final twist.

And then the nothing.

Until he comes to, floating inertly above the faded stain where he had bled out. It took days sometimes to gather his scattered thoughts and find the will to exist, and it always felt like the phantom pain in his chest would never fade.

He was terrified that one day the nothingness would stretch to permanence and he would cease to exist. He had no certain way of telling the days when he was in a trance, but he was certain that each episode was growing longer then the last.

Lance was so distracted by his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed the new presence on the edge of the property until the front doors were thrown open and Keith stumbled in. He came to a stop and looked between Shiro’s coiled stance and hovered over the space that Lance occupied. His nostrils flared and oddly his tense posture relaxed with a small sigh.

Lance wanted to move towards Keith. After the direction of his thoughts, he desperately wanted to touch something real, he wanted to feel that warmth of life that had lingered long after Keith had left.

But he eyed Shiro cautiously and thought better of it.

‘Stay back Keith, there’s something lurking in the house.’ Shiro growled over his shoulder. Lance made an offended sound, bringing his hand to his chest while giving Shiro a well-practised stink eye.

‘Lurking!’ He cried in outrage. ‘How dare you?’ He went ignored of course, though he was sure he saw Keith wince.

‘Shiro I need you to calm down,’ Keith said gently, carefully approaching Shiro with his hands raised. Shiro did not look close to calming down ‘Shit, Lance…’ Lance looked over to Keith who was looking at his chest, Lance lowered a little so that Keith was looking into his eyes. ‘…I need you to give Shiro and I a moment so I can explain.’ Lance reeled back a little. Was he was being sent away? In his own home?

He was fully prepared to go on a tirade about the audacity of it all, but the winds got knocked out of his sails when Keith’s expression softened pleadingly. ‘Please.’ He murmured. Lance bit his lower lip and looked between the two brothers. The two brothers that now owned his house and even though Lance had both born and died in this very home, they had more claim over the house then he did, given that they were alive.

But none of that mattered to Lance, because this _was_ his house and he was being treated like an intruder by these two strangers. Well they wanted Lance gone, then fine, he would go for now, but he would certainly make his displeasure known.

The blue rose petals that constantly floated around him lazily began to lash around him into a vortex of fury and power and with a vicious screech that rattled the windows, the power around him erupted outwards, catching the two strangers and making them stumble back. A crack of thunder tore through the ensuing stunned silence, mirroring his rage.

Lance sneered at them both before teleporting away.

The trouble with teleporting, was that Lance hated it. It felt too much like the nothingness.

His ghostly body twisted out of the living plane and into a dark and distorted version where everything was colourless and where shadows were everywhere. He hated it, the way everything seemed to shift and fade before reappearing as if it couldn’t decide whether to exist or not, the way there always seemed to be a shadow at the corner of his eye and the creeping feeling at the back of his neck as if he were being watched.

He turned on the spot and of course nothing was there, but the feeling persisted.

The first time he had ended up here was by accident. In the early days of his death, he’d not realised that he was tethered to the house, so he’d left it, bored and lonely, he’d hoped to find someone like him. But the further he got from the house the harder it became to move, like trying to walk through molasses. And then it became impossible and his body had folded into itself painfully and he’d been submerged into this nothing realm.

It wasn’t calm and quiet like it was now. No. All around him, groaning and crying out in agony and despair were misshapen forms that might have been human once, writhing and reaching towards him. The panic when he realised that they already had a hold of his legs was too real. This was what had been slowing him down, other undead entities clinging to him, trying to drag him down with them.

He’d shaken them off and ran home where his house had remained blissfully empty.

Even now it remained empty, he looked over to the spaces where Keith and Shiro had stood, of course they weren’t there, this was no place for the living after all. He walked over to the window and looked out over the land, at the edge of his property, he could see the reaching, grasping hands of the dead trying to get through the gates. Still reaching for him after all this time.

They couldn’t get through though, he didn’t know why, but he was grateful for it.

He turned away from the sight with a small shudder and headed towards the staircase, his chest ached. He lamented the loss of his earlier euphoria of meeting Keith, of touching a living being for the first time in forever and basking in his warmth after feeling cold for so long.

He should have just stayed in the damned attic. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading :) x


	4. Chapter three - Touching You, Touching me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance deals with the fallout of entering the Nothing, and his fallout with Shiro.  
> Keith just can't deal.

Awareness came in increments. The shifting scene began to settle until everything stood stationary. Colours began to slowly bleed back into the walls, the floors, the doors, and the furniture, until the monochrome shade faded completely. He forced his gaze to the window and uncurled from his foetal position. He drifted up to small round window and peered out across the grounds and was relieved to find vibrant greens and deep blue skies as dusk approached.

And most importantly there were no writhing dead things trying to break through the gate.

He floated backwards and fell back onto the Chaise lounge with an unsettling groan, wincing at the hollow and dissonant sound of his voice, rudely reminding him that he was one of those dead things to.

What was the point of this existence? To cling onto the living only to be forgotten, abandoned, just like this house.

He looked blearily around the attic, at the damp patches where storms had ripped away roof tiles and water had leaked in, at the cracking floor boards that he was sure wouldn’t be able to take the weight of a human, at the mildew and mould that grew around the window and from the corners.

He thought about the peeling paint around the rest of the house, the stained and slightly damp looking carpets that had once been so plush it was like walking on clouds, the crumbling brickwork and the cracked walls.

This house had once been filled with so much life and now it was a ghost of its former glory, abandoned and derelict, to no longer be a home, but a prison. His prison.

So, what was the point?

‘Lance!’

He sat up straight and looked down at the floor where a voice was calling through to him. It took him a moment, as it always did when he fell into melancholy, to remember who Lance was and who was in the house.

_That’s me. I’m Lance._

He shuddered, realising that once again he had forgotten himself. Fading into the nothing seemed to have a way of messing with his head, of making him feel… well nothing. It was terrifying to think how easy it was to forget everything he felt was important, his identity, his will to live, his desire to exist.

He was scared that one day he would truly decide there was no point and simply fade away and join the rest of the formless wraiths that wanted to destroy the living, out of spite, out of jealousy, or simply because they craved the taste of the living.

Lance was anxious that he was existing on borrowed time.

‘Lance!’ The one calling him was beginning to sound frantic now and Lance was quite done being alone, so he lifted into the air and dove through the floor to be in the blue room. The man turned to face him almost immediately, his eyes scanning over the space where Lance was. Lance tilted his head curiously when he saw the guy sigh in relief and watched the tension bleed from his shoulders.

‘There you are?’ He murmured softly, a crooked smile pulling at his lips.

_Oh_. This guy should definitely do more of that. His smiled should be classified as dangerous, especially if it had the ability to make him flush with warmth. Lance was a ghost, he never felt warm, so what the ever-loving heck was going on with him? And what was with this guy? Why did he look so damn happy to see Lance, especially since he couldn’t even see Lance.

He found the name coming to his lips before he’d truly even remembered it.

‘Keith…’

And then he was remembering everything, like a switch had been flipped in his mind.

The stranger from this morning that had him feeling all out of sorts, the strong heartbeat under his hand and the lingering warmth on his palm afterwards. The first person in a long time to say his name aloud.

He was also the man that had told him to go away when Shiro had been growling and snarling at him like a savage animal, as if Lance were the aggressor in that confrontation, and he hadn’t been the one that was being unfairly attacked!

At some point during his musings he had started to unconsciously drift towards Keith, hand outstretched, ready to touch so that he could have another taste of that addictive warmth, until he remembered that he had forced himself into that awful Nothing place in his fit of pique.

He snatched his hand back and retreated, scowling at Keith whose face fell.

‘Wait, don’t leave!’ Keith cried, reaching out his own hand, Lance watched the moment Keith realised he had nothing to grab and his hand formed into a fist and his jaw ticked as he grit his teeth. Lance’s heart ached at the helplessness displayed in those pretty grey eyes.

But he was still hurt, so he resisted the urge to close the distance and instead crossed his arms and drifted around until he had his back to Keith.

‘I’m sorry.’ Keith choked out, hastily. ‘Please let me explain. Just… don’t disappear again.’ Lance looked over his shoulder, frowning. ‘Please.’ Keith added pleadingly.

How could Lance even think of resisting when Keith was looking at him like… like Lance was his entire reason for existing. It made no sense for Lance to feel this beholden to someone he’d only met this morning or for someone to think he’s the world after only knowing him half a day.

And yet… he couldn’t resist those eyes.

Lance drifted over towards Keith until he was floating directly in front of him, Keith inhaled deeply and his eyes slid closed. Lance tracked the way Keith’s throat bobbed when he swallowed deeply and found himself wandering how smooth that neck would feel under his mouth.

Whoa! Lance stumbled over the sudden direction of his thoughts, taken completely by surprise since he hadn’t felt anything close to desire or want since dying. He was sure if he had any blood, or a body, he’d be blushing madly. And even though he was overcome with the strongest urge to follow through with the errant thought, he didn’t, instead he settled for indulgently brushing his fingers along Keith’s cheek, trailing his fingers down to his jawline, over the scar that stretched over the jaw from his neck and all the way down to the tip of his chin where he let his fingers linger, soaking in as much warmth as he could before pulling away completely.

He looked up to meet Keith’s gaze and his embarrassment blew away like smoke in the wind when he saw the low-lidded, smouldering gaze locked onto him, so perfectly aligned that Lance could almost fool himself into believing the Keith was looking directly into his eyes.

He laughed nervously, feeling oddly breathless despite the fact he had no need to breathe. This was madness.

‘What the hell is happening here?’ He asked, his voice shaking. ‘Who are you? And why do you make me feel like this?’ He brushed a hand over his chest and shuddered. ‘Why do you make feel… alive?’

Naturally, Keith couldn’t hear him so there were no answers for him.

‘Fuck…’ Keith closed his eyes and took a deep shaky breath. ‘I think I’m beginning to understand.’ He muttered, mostly to himself. He opened his eyes and took a step back and turning away but kept his gaze towards Lance. ‘Let’s sit and talk and I’ll explain everything.’

He led Lance over to the bay window and sat down on the window seat gingerly, testing the sturdiness of the decaying wood before relaxing into the seat. He looked up expectantly at Lance and Lance rolled his eyes, it wasn’t as if ghost got tried from standing too long but took the space next to Keith anyway. 

Keith chuckled and Lance’s head whipped round to see what was so funny, as if sensing his curiosity, Keith pointed the space where he sat.

‘The seat dipped, it’s dumb I know, but it’s a bit of a relief to have some more proof that you’re not just a figment of my imagination.’

Lance snorted, that was dumb. He looked down at his nails as he spoke.

‘How do I know you guys aren’t just a figment of _my_ imagination, maybe my powers have evolved to conjuring things now, how else could you have appeared just when I needed you to?’ When the loneliness was becoming too much.

‘I want to start by saying,’ Keith plowed on oblivious to Lance’s musings, ‘that I explained everything to Shiro, and if you feel up to it, he would really like to apologize to you in person. There’s no rush though, he would understand.’ Keith looked down at his lap. ‘And that’s only if you wanted anything to do with us after I tell you everything.’

Lance titled his head and frowned in confusion, what could Keith possibly be hiding that would drive Lance away? Because he felt that Keith was seriously underestimating how lonely Lance was, he was pretty sure there was nothing Keith could say that would make Lance turn away the only people that could sense him.

When the silence stretched on, he was half convinced that Keith had forgotten that Lance was there. Keith’s hands were so tightly clenched together that his nails were digging into his skin, any tighter and Lance was sure he was going to break through and hurt himself. He reached across and placed a gentle hand over Keith’s, Keith jumped but his hands loosened its damaging grip. He didn’t pull his hands away, so Lance indulgently (selfishly) kept his where it was.

How could a human feel so warm without it being a fever?

Keith whipped his head round to face Lance and with a very serious and almost angry expression he all but shouted in Lance’s face: ‘I’m a Werewolf!”

Lance froze. A what now? He pulled back a little to get a better look at Keith, face pulled down in a frown.

Was that supposed to be a joke?

‘Shit,’ Keith spat, he slipped a hand out from under Lance’s, reminding Lance that he still had a hand over Keith’s, he pulled it back abruptly and Keith’s lips pulled down into a grimace. He ran a hand over his face as he sighed. ‘Smooth, Keith, just smooth.’ Keith mumbled to himself from behind his hand. ‘I’m sorry, I wasn’t supposed to blurt it out like that, I probably sounded like a mad man.’

‘Yeah, a little.’ Lance said, chuckling in bewilderment.

‘What I meant to say was that Shiro and I are immortals, werewolves to be exact, but there are hundreds like us that live in this world, and other worlds.’ Keith starts counting off on his fingers as he started to list names that Lance had only ever heard in stories. ‘Vampires, Fae, Fairies, Witches, Sorcerers, Selkies, Berserkers, Demons… Nymphs… and you don’t believe me.’ He trailed off dejectedly.

Of course, Lance was skeptical, this was crazy talk. Keith was cute but that didn’t mean Lance was going to fall for fantastical stories of mythical creatures living amongst humans as if they wouldn’t notice.

‘I know it’s hard to believe, but for centuries immortals have been blending seamlessly into society, hidden in plain sight, because humans have a way of explaining away things they can’t comprehend, a defense mechanism of sorts that protects their brains from imploding, or something, Pidge would explain it better.’ Keith scoffed. ‘Literally anyone could explain this better than me.’ He growled, getting frustrated with himself.

Lance watched him, and the dejected slouch of his shoulders, guilt churning somewhere in his sternum.

He recalled his confrontation with Shiro and.. and maybe it wasn’t so farfetched that Keith was telling the truth.

The snarl that had exposed those elongated canines, the way his eyes had flashed an otherworldly silver, and the ghostly bestial presence that had flickered across his face and hadn’t Lance thought at the time that it was silly of him to assume he’s was the only supernatural thing around.

He was a ghost for goodness sake. He shouldn’t be so skeptical.

He stood up and knelt in front of Keith, he used his index finger to delicately lift Keith’s head by his chin, and Keith’s eyes darted over Lance questioningly. Lance is certain he’s never seen eyes as beautiful as Keith’s, even if his memories of living were foggy at best, he’s sure he’d never seen eyes like his. He let himself swoon a little as he kept his eyes locked with Keith’s pretending for a moment that Keith was looking into his eyes too.

And then he used his other hand to brush aside his bangs, trailing his fingers over his temple and back behind his ear until he was cupping the back of Keith’s head.

‘You’re doing great.’ He praised, wishing desperately that Keith could hear him. ‘And I believe you, it would be dumb of me not to considering I’m a ghost.’ The tension on Keith’s face melted, his thick brows lifting in increments until his expression turned soft. Helpless to his urges, Lance cupped Keith’s cheek with his other hand and the space where his heart should have been swelled with an unnamed emotion when Keith shyly nuzzled his palm.

‘You are so unfair.’ Lance whined, dropping his head down on Keith’s knee. ‘You come into my house and you make me want things I can’t have.’ He whispered, as Keith looked down in confusion. ‘Maybe,’ Lance looked up, to find Keith frowning down at his hand before it curled into a fist, ‘you’re a new form of torture designed especially for me. To give me a taste of warmth and hope before I’m finally dragged away by those… things.’

Lance couldn’t get tired, but lately he had been feeling exhausted, weary, or maybe it was just boredom, he’d never been very good at being alone, and for the longest time his own company is all he’d had.

Keith’s arrival seemed so well-timed… but maybe he was being paranoid and he should just enjoy this fortuitous meeting, for whatever time he had left. Indulge himself until he lost his grip for good and tumbled into the abyss and became nothing.

‘I wish I could at least hear you.’ Keith said, breaking Lance’s melancholic train of thought. ‘I’m not very good at this.’ He confessed. ‘I know you need comfort, but I don’t know what to say or do to make you feel better because I can’t even begin to understand how it must feel to be in your position.’

‘You just being here is enough, letting me soak in your warmth so I can pretend is enough, talking to me, saying my name… it’s enough, I couldn’t ask for more.’

‘Lance…’ Keith said softly, as if he had heard Lance’s words and was indulging him. The spike of warmth that spread through his perpetually cold body was definitely welcome and Lance let his eyes slide closed as he savored it. ‘Lance.’ Keith said again, with a curious lilt to his voice. ‘You like it when I say your name?’

Lance didn’t bother answering, or asking how Keith knew, he just rested his head down on Keith’s knee again and let himself relax. Keith didn’t seem to be bothered by this, instead he heard a small chuckle and felt Keith adjust himself to be more comfortable.

What he really needed was for Keith to run his hands over his hair but Lance had learnt that even though he could interact with objects and people, they couldn’t interact with him. Keith’s hand would sail right through him if he tried. 

‘I should probably tell you about Shiro.’ Lance didn’t say anything, but he did nod his had to show that he was listening. Keith sighed deeply. ‘Ok. So about two hundred and fifty years ago Shiro’s mate went missing.’ Lance frowned. Two hundred and fifty years? That sounded awful but also, a sudden thought occurring to him, just how old was Keith? Keith misunderstanding his shock, nodded sadly. ‘He hides it well, but I know it’s tearing him apart.’

Keith fell silent and Lance squeezed his knee to prompt him into continuing.

‘Right, um, so there’s this subset of vampires that have been at war with our clans for centuries, and they took advantage of Shiro’s hunt for his mate, they lured him in with a false lead and captured him, but even then it took several vamps to subdue Shiro once he had shifted.

‘That was two hundred and twenty-one years ago.’ Lance look up in concern when he felt Keith tense up, he startled when he found a pair of violet eyes instead of the deep grey they’d been before, he gaze was faraway, reliving a memory of an age ago.

Concerned, he tried to push out soothing thoughts while he reached up to cup Keith’s face again. Keith flinched but the tension eased, and his eyes shifted back to grey, he blinked rapidly and his nostrils flared before he looked down at Lance.

‘Sorry… it’s just, it was a horrible time, for everyone involved. Shiro is practically leader of all the werewolves so when he went missing it caused a lot of pain and confusion for those loyal to him, but I spent those two hundred years looking for him, I never stopped, but eventually with Allura’s help I found him chained to the bottom of the ocean, forced to drown over and over only for his immortality to resurrect him.’

Lance could feel his eyes widening slowly and he was sure that if he was capable of it his eyes would have been stinging by now. Keith continued. ‘They tortured him first, feeding from him, poisoning him with liquid silver to keep him docile, cutting off limbs and watching them grow back, which is a painful process, trust me on that, they starved him, taunted him with his missing mate to drive him mad… but Shiro has always been resilient and even after all their attempts to break him, they failed.

‘They resorted to drowning him. The only thing that can truly kill an immortal is by severing the head completely from the body, if even a strand of skin remains connected our immortality will repair the damage and bring us back to life. Even so, dying too many times can have a negative impact on our mental state, Shiro is jumpier, prone to aggression and also terrified of large pools of water, and on top of all that he’s been through, Adam is still missing.’

How does… How do you even come out of that with any sanity left? No wonder he’d been so aggressive, Lance had appeared out of nowhere, thrown himself into Shiro’s face while the man was dealing with some serious PTSD.

And it wasn’t as if Keith hadn’t warned him, Lance had just really underestimated what Keith meant by ‘he’s been through some stuff’. And who the hell even described severe physical and psychological torture as ‘been through stuff’ anyway? He threw Keith a half-hearted glare and turned a pensive gaze towards the door. 

Shiro didn’t owe him an apology, Lance owed him one.

Keith frowned when he smelt the burnt scent of frustration aimed his way, wondering what he had done to earn Lance’s ire, he was about to ask when the soothing cold of Lance’s hand wrapped around his, stilling his thoughts like it had done every time lance had touched him.

He had discovered, much to his pleasure, that Lance was a tactile guy, and on a similar note, what Lance’s attraction and desire smelt like. Mouth-watering was how it smelt, sending any and all coherent thoughts flying from his head until it all that was left behind was _Lance… Lance… Lance…_

Keith was seriously beginning to understand why everyone was so weak for their mates and he’d entertained the idea of how he would have been if he had been confronted with a Lance that was alive. Just imagining how strong his scent would be tightened something in his gut and his wolf was all for that.

_Want… want… want,_ it pleaded.

Can’t… can’t… can’t, Keith reminded it.

Keith thoughts returned to the present when he was suddenly yanked to his feet and dragged across the room to the door.

‘Wha… wait a minute, Lance! Where are we going?’ He tried to pull back but was surprised to find, even with his natural strength, that he struggled against Lance’s pull. Another wave of frustration hit him and then almost immediately something sour, like… guilt? But what did Lance feel guilty for?

He was dragged through the house and towards the stairs, Lance slowed down at the stairs when the first step gave a worrisome creak and crack, allowing Keith to gingerly step down them without falling through them.

But once they got to the bottom Lance seemed to lose steam and lingered behind Keith, pushing him gently in the back to guide him forwards until Keith realized they were heading to the living room again.

‘You want to talk to Shiro now?’ He asked, surprised. Another small shove to his back was his answer. ‘Ok, cool.’ Keith peeked his head into the living room and found Shiro still in there. He’d opened all the curtains and opened a few windows and it made a big difference to the space. Though dust sheets still covered a lot of the remaining furniture and the floors, the brightness really highlighted how spacious and grand the room was. Though the pastel blue walls and the white borders were faded and off colour, the paint chipped, peeling and cracking with time and little care.

Shiro looked over his shoulder and smiled at Keith, which froze in place when his eyes darted over Keith’s shoulder to the space where Lance lingered by the doorway.

‘Is… everything ok?’ Shiro asked, after a small cough to clear his throat.

‘Um… I think Lance wants to talk to you but I’m not sure what about.’ Keith eyed the door where Lance edged further into room slowly, the increments in which he moved into the room seemed intentional and Keith frowned. What was he… oh!

He was trying not to startle Shiro. Shiro must have noticed to because he chuckled into his hand, his eyes softening to something kind.

‘It’s ok, now that I know who you are, I doubt you’ll startle me again, but thank you, it was kind of you to consider my comfort.’ He turned to Keith, who nodded in encouragement. Shiro took a few confidents strides towards them and held out his hand towards Lance whose scent sparked with surprise. ‘Lance, right?’

There was a moment of stillness before Shiro’s hand seem to close around something and he smiled, relieved. Keith sighed and enjoyed the quiet joy that seemed to pour from Lance. Like an ocean breeze, if he closed his eyes, he could just imagine the spray of the surf on his face, making him feel all kinds of nostalgic. He hadn’t been to the ocean since his mum and dad…

In a long time.

He shook away the grasps of grief and focused instead on Lance’s scent again, breathing it in and letting it sooth away the memories.

He didn’t often think of those times, but Lance’s scent reminded him of home, but the home that it reminded him of was… long gone.

He tuned in just in time to hear Shiro say, ‘I have to say I’ve been looking forward to the day when Keith found his-‘ Keith’s eyes went wide as he inferred what was about to come out of Shiro’s mouth next and roughly interrupted with a sharp jab into Shiro’s side. It wouldn’t have hurt him, but it was packed with enough panicked energy that Shiro had to brace his feet to stop himself from being flung across the room.

Shiro threw him an offended look while Lance’s confusion wrapped around them, though Shiro’s offence settled to understanding when Keith shook his head sharply as he shot Lance a quick flustered glance. His eyes widened and then narrowed to something that roughly translated to we’ll talk about this later.

He plastered on a smile again and turned to face Lance while Keith turned away to disguise a relieved sigh. It’s not that he didn’t want to tell Lance that he was Keith’s mate, it’s just… having a non-wolf mate was a gamble.

Lance was dead so there was no way he could feel their connection but even if he had been alive there was no guarantee that he would chose Keith, he wasn’t tied the same way that Keith was, he would never be forced to pine away for someone that might not want him. And sure, Lance had been giving him some pretty strong signals, attraction being one of them, but Keith was also the first person he’d been able to interact with in a long time.

Maybe the attraction and the touching were because Lance had missed it and Keith was the closest available person.

It seemed pointless to bring it up anyway given that they’d only known each other a day and Keith had no idea if they could even be together like that.

Keith had never been a very tactile person but when he had tried to brush a hand over Lance’s head when he’d rested it on Keith’s knee the disappointment had gutted him when his hand had passed through like it was air.

A mate changed all the rules that Keith thought he ever had, and touching Lance seemed to be something he desperately wanted to do now, to stroke his hair when he smelt melancholy, to hold his hand when he needed to feel grounded, to kiss him whenever Lance smelt like the heat of summer. He felt his face heat up a little at the thought of a mere kiss with his mate.

He was over three hundred years old; a simple kiss shouldn’t be making him a blush like a teenager with his first crush.

‘-Keith has never been that great at making friends, he’s not great with people you see, so I’m just relieved to see him making friends.’ Shiro was smirking and Keith threw him his most threatening glare which was dampened with the pink sufficing his cheeks, especially when he picked up the dulcet notes of Lance’s humor.

‘Are you laughing at me?’ He growled at the ghost. The pleasant notes got stronger and he found it hard to stay annoyed. He really wished he could hear Lance’s laughter though, he bet it was beautiful.

Ugh, he groaned internally, that was kind of gross, what was he thinking? If he wasn’t careful, he’d go soft like Kolivan. He caught another waft of Lance’s scent and a gruffer voice in the back of his mind, that sounded suspiciously like his wolf, said ‘ _Would that be so bad? Imagine how good he’ll feel when you finally claim him, when you finally sink your teeth into him and mark him as ours.’_

Keith promptly told his wolf to stop being such a thirsty bitch and schooled his expression to disguise how much that thought actually did appeal to him, a lot. Judging by Shiro knowing glance he hadn’t suppressed the spark of desire it had ignited in his gut fast enough. He shot his brother a sharp glare and Shiro grinned. Until a there was a stab of irritation.

They both turned to face Lance.

‘We didn’t forget you were here.’ Keith said, humoured. But the irritation turned to frustration and then Shiro made a sound of surprise when a strong but gentle wind buffeted him from behind and urged him forwards. Confused he went with it until it led him to the fireplace.

Keith followed, concerned and curious. The trouble with only being able to read Lance’s emotions was that Keith was never very good at deciphering the nuances of individual feelings, therefore he had no idea what was bothering Lance right now. He just shrugged at Shiro when he looked over his shoulder for Keith’s opinion.

And then Keith noticed movement and his gaze darted up to the large mirror hanging over the mantle, which was covered in a thick layer of dust. Slowly an invisible finger moved through the dust to write out a message.

_I’m sorry._

Lance was sorry, but for what? 

Lance must have taken the silence for confusion because he continued.

_Keith warned me. I scared you. PTSD. I’m sorry._

‘Oh.’ Shiro said on a soft exhale. ‘Lance… you had no way of knowing any of that. If I had taken two seconds to read the atmosphere before I would have noticed that you weren’t hostile.’

_No excuses. You’re sorry. I’m more sorry. It’s all good._ Then Lance drew a smiley face that made Shiro laugh and Keith smile. There was a lengthy pause where Lance had a placed a single digit on the mirror surface but not moved it before finally writing something else. _Hi Keith._ Which was followed by a little heart, accompanied by a wave of embarrassment. 

You know what, Keith thought as he covered his face to hide the smitten grin that was trying to spread across his face, maybe it was alright if he went a _little_ soft.

Shiro, cause he was a little shit, cooed at Keith while Keith struggled to keep his blush at bay, apparently his glare wasn’t as effective when he was embarrassed, though Shiro would probably argue that Keith’s glare were never effective, which was a lie only a big brother could get away with.

Keith had plenty of enemies that could attest to Keith’s intimidating and dangerous personality, at least the ones that had managed to survive anyway.

‘Well,’ Shiro announced, ‘It was really nice to meet you Lance and I’m glad we cleared the air but Keith and I need to head off for now.’

‘We do?’ Keith asked at the same time Lance’s good humoured scent turned bitter with disappointment.

‘Yes, You have to go and find Pidge and arrange for her to set the wards around the grounds, and I have a meeting with Kolivan and the European packs about extending territory for hunting.’ He explained folding his arms across his chest. ‘And don’t be disappointed Lance, Keith will be here bright and early tomorrow morning. I promise.’

Seemingly mollified, if still a little bitter, Lance floated down towards Keith, Keith straightened and tried to project his own disappointment without being too obvious about it so that Lance understood that a big part of him didn’t want to leave.

A weight pressed against his chest in the shape of a hand, right over his heart, instinctively he lifted his own to cover Lance’s and was again disappointed when he met his own chest, but despite this he kept his hand there because in a way, like this, they were connected.

An affectionate warmth wrapped around him and he knew that in this moment, if Lance had been alive and standing before him, he would have leant in and pressed the softest of kisses to the corner of Lance’s mouth, a tease of more to come. 

He couldn’t do that though, because he’d look silly and probably miss entirely. So he settled with keeping their hands connected and he sensed Lance’s acceptance.

‘I’ll be back tomorrow, ok?’

The hand on his chest, tapped him lightly before pulling away reluctantly, and then Lance drifted upwards and Keith watched him until he was completely gone from the room. He instantly had to fight the urge to chase him up and took a deep breath.

‘I think I understand what you mean when you say having a mate makes you soft, I can count on one hand how many people you’re willing to smile for and this is the most affectionate I’ve ever seen you, I’m touched I got to witness it.’

‘Shut up.’ Snapped Keith. ‘I’ve got places to be.’ He growled, he turned on the spot, ignoring Shiro’s laughter.

Night was falling fast and there was only one place Pidge would be at this time of day.

With one last woeful glance at the window where he’d first spotted Lance, certain that’s where he was now, his wolf whined pathetically as he turned and strode away from the house. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and stay safe everyone :) x


	5. Chapter four - I Looked Into The Void And All I Got Was This Shitty T-shirt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge can see dead people, Keith wants to murder a man and Hunk is an angel in a demons body.

The bar was nestled at the heart of Havana, it went mostly ignored by the mortals thanks to a collection of enchantments that surrounded the place – from befuddlement jinxes to harmless change-of-heart charms (those wanting to get drunk would be suddenly over whelmed by the need for a quiet night in) – nothing dangerous of course.

And the few that managed to slip past the outside enchantments… well the witches really loved to party, Keith wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d purposefully left a few loopholes in their spell work for those that really wanted to get fucked up.

Hunk had turned a blind eye, but he made sure that Pidge put in a failsafe spell to ensure the mortals went home with drastically altered memories – because the more party hardy witches were known to expose their magic when drunk on Hunk’s homebrew – and a hangover so severe they’d would genuinely swear off drinking ever again.

The bar – named “The Bar” – was a hub for immortals, and not just because it was a way point with direct access to multiple planes and dimensions or that it was a grudge free zone (please leave your feud outside the door and share a drink!), Hunk was strict about that rule, his place was a place for supers to mingle and take a load off. It wouldn’t be uncommon to find a werewolf and a vamp leaning against each other as they drank themselves into the next dimension (Hunk’s stuff was strong and he catered for everyone), or a dragonkin to be lounging relaxed amongst the coils of a drunk affectionate Lamia.

But mostly, supers swarmed here because Hunks food was worth the risk of dying for.

Or at least that’s why Keith came, that and to meet Pidge.

He wasn’t a big fan of rowdy crowds and the strange mix of magics in the air usually made his skin crawl, but it was better than being at the witches hub, the place reeked of experimental magic and it hung in the air like a smog which always made his head foggy, he hated it. And the witches liked to stare, they weren’t subtle.

At least here, he could ignore it better.

The moment he slipped inside he was beset on by a fiery nymph, skin a deep red and eyes that smouldered like hot coals, their hair was ablaze around their head and they smelt like passion.

‘Mind if I stake my claim.’ They purred.

Keith stared at them for a moment, unimpressed and unmoved, and for a change his wolf was in agreement. A nymph had the ability to allure practically anyone, altering scent or form to suit their partners wants, and Keith may have found their scent appealing once, (his wolf was a horny shit even if Keith wasn’t) but now that he’d had a taste of his mate’s scent, his wolf was not interested.

It was nice that they were finally agreeing on something, and for there to not be an internal battle for dominance before Keith lifted his lip into a snarl and strode past the nymph.

'A simple no would have sufficed asshole!' The nymph shouted at his back.

Pidge was at the bar, hunched uncomfortably over their latest project with a focus that usually meant Keith would have to wait. He sat down on the stool to her right and waved a hand at the owner.

He’d known Hunk and Pidge for as long as Keith had been an immortal, being as they were part of the same batch of supers to reach maturity. The thing was, it wasn’t easy making friends in this world, you had allies and you had enemies and then the people you tolerated, because people always had secrets and ulterior motives, and for that reason no one could ever fully trust each other.

Hunk and Pidge were his friends though, he trusted them with his life, and he liked to think it was the same for them, and if they had any secrets, he knew it was for a good reason.

They had been there for him when Shiro had gone missing, Hunk exhausted all his connections, even losing a few, in his effort to find a lead, using word of mouth and his position at the bar, because people gossiped while they were drunk and hunk knew a lot of secrets – which he hated on the basis that he was really bad at keeping secrets so he’d commissioned Pidge to make him a secret keeper talisman, it was supposed to lock his mouth for a short time if he were ever about to let slip a secret. Except, Pidge was a witch so of course it wasn’t that simple, if Hunk was ever about to slip up he’d be compelled to reveal an embarrassing secret of his own.

(Hunk believed it was revenge for the time he accidentally let slip one of Pidge’s secret so accepted the punishment with dignity.)

(And Keith had an uncomfortable amount of intimate knowledge on Hunk now.)

Pidge was a witch that loved technology, they loved tinkering with said technology and incorporating their magic into them and were rarely seen without their enchanted laptop.

They had tucked themselves into their workshop and had churned out a collection of devices that had been supposed to help him find Shiro, and when those hadn’t worked Pidge had resorted to traditional – “archaic” – methods, and that hadn’t worked any better given she was no longer compatible with that style of magic. He had appreciated the effort though.

They had worked tirelessly to help Keith before he had eventually resorted to asking Allura.

‘Hey Keith.’ Hunk greeted happily, making his way over, he wiped his hands off on his apron and grabbed a large two-pint glass from above the bar and started filling it with beer. He slid it over to Keith.

Keith nodded his head in acknowledgement before he chugged half of his beer down in a few large gulps.

‘Two platters of meat as well, please.’ Keith grumbled.

‘Sure thing man, any preferences?’ Keith looked at Hunk for a moment, looked to the side then back again and then shrugged. 

‘Meat.’

‘Ok…’

‘Make it rare.’ Keith added. Hunk made a sound of understanding and smiled knowingly. 

‘Ah gotcha.’ He said. ‘That time of the month, huh?’ Keith scowled heavily up at the demon, he clicked his tongue as he hunched over the bar with his elbows on the bar top.

‘You make it sound like a period when you say it like that.’ He complained. ‘But yeah, the moon is in it’s first quarter.’ Which meant an increase in appetite, Keith could pile away pounds of food and alcohol and still not feel like he was entirely full.

This was down to a werewolf’s naturally high metabolism, it took a lot – like _a lot_ – of alcohol to get a wolf drunk, but during the time leading up to a full moon the hunger was a constant.

Keith was lucky enough to just get away with a hunger, and closer towards full moon the itch to run. Shiro would claim that when Keith was younger, he was partial to some platonic cuddling.

But Shiro was a dirty liar.

It differed from werewolf to werewolf though, some experienced a drastic increase in libido, some became far more territorial, and more aggressive, some sought out physical affection. Some preferred solitude while others preferred pack bonding.

Shiro, pre-Adam, preferred to disappear for a week leading up to the full moon, Post-Adam, they disappeared together, as most wolves do when they’re mated. It was fairly obvious how these wolves liked to spend their time.

‘Sorry, sorry.’ Hunk offered, with a good-natured chuckle. It honestly amazed Keith how nice and soft-natured Hunk could be despite being a demon, a race known for their strength and aggression, though maybe it was because Hunk came from a milder plane, home to the Elemental Demons, Hunk was an Earth demon so it was in his nature to be hospitable and balanced. That’s not to say that Hunk was a complete softy though, there was a reason the patrons of his bar followed the rules.

Unlike other demon hierarchies, it took a lot to anger an Earth Demon but when it happened, they were no less intimidating then there more aggressive cousins. Keith had only seen Hunk truly mad one time. Now, Hunk was a big guy normally but during a rage, he easily doubled in size, with muscles that swelled and skin that turned to rock, and that’s not to mention how wide his antlers would stretch out, looming over his head dangerously.

Werewolves were counted amongst some of the strongest, when fully transformed there wasn’t much that could stand up to them, but even Keith, who was always up for a brawl, backed away nervously, his wolf temporarily cowed by the display of strength.

Most of the time though Hunk was an absolute sweetheart.

And Keith felt very lucky that Hunk considered him a friend.

‘I’ll get your food ready, won’t be long buddy.’ Hunk said. ‘Want me to prepare extra?’

‘…Please, if you have enough.’

‘I’ve got your back, don’t worry, I’m never short on food here.’ He reassured before ducking into the kitchen area. A preppy siren was left to man the bar.

Keith turned his head to look over at what Pidge was doing and as he expected he didn’t understand it, neither the magic or the technology. Her fingers were flying over the keys of her laptop, her eyes fixed, wide and unblinking, on the screen, her glasses reflecting figures and symbols that Keith was sure wouldn’t be found on a normal computer.

Pidge was the first Witch to meld magic and technology flawlessly, to turn magic into code that could be sent digitally to anyone, anywhere, at any time, and work just as effectively as magic cast the “archaic” way.

‘I can feel you staring at me… it’s creepy.’ Pidge murmured without looking away from her screen. Oh good, she was verbal, he took it to mean it was now safe to initiate contact.

Keith snorted and looked away, he lifted his heavy glass and drained the rest, he placed it back down and licked away some froth that was left on his upper lip.

‘What are you working on?’ He asked in way of greeting.

‘Allura gave me a project I couldn’t refuse; I’d explain the details if I thought you actually cared.’

‘I do care, I just don’t understand it.’

‘Sure.’ Pidge said blithely, her fingers lit up and surged through the keyboard, lighting up the screen and then Pidge’s shoulders slumped, and she sighed deeply, rubbing their forehead roughly before slamming the lid of their laptop down in defeat.

‘Problems?’ He enquired.

‘I’m trying to code a new spell, but I can’t get the algorithm right, just when I think I have it, something goes wrong and the entire thing balks.’ She slumped across the counter with a groan.

‘Sounds rough.’ Keith offered unhelpfully.

‘Allura said it was important, but you know what it’s like trying to get information out of her, she doesn’t even remember asking for it.’

‘If Allura asked for it, then I'm sure it's important.’ Keith reasoned.

‘Hmm.’ She hummed noncommittal. ‘I mean, if she really has forgotten about it, it’s definitely something I could make use of, it would be perfect for my channel.’ Keith rolled his eyes and chuckled.

As a side project and a kind of social experiment Pidge had become a popular Youtuber, with a fifteen million subscriber strong channel… on paranormal activity. Which was hilarious on so many levels. It started off as a joke, a few doctored images and videos of some immortals that were willing to go along with the joke, or some that owed Pidge a favour or two, but apparently mortals ate that shit up and now Pidge was famous and earning a fair bit of pocket money.

‘That so?’ He intoned, waving the siren over for a refill. ‘What was it she asked you to make.’

‘It was an odd request and I’m kind of bummed I didn’t think of it first, but she wanted me to make a device that would allow us to hear the dead.’ Keith was about to lift his fresh drink to his lips when he froze up. Hear the dead? He turned to look at Pidge slowly, bewildered and… hopeful? ‘I had this great idea to repurpose an old hearing aid, I had to tinker with it a little bit but I think it could be compatible with the right enchantment code… once I get it right.’ She finished with a grimace.

‘When…' He cleared his throat. 'When did she ask you to make this?’ He asked, trying to sound casual as he did. She shrugged.

‘Like a week ago.’ She offered, giving him a strange look as she did. Maybe he hadn’t sounded as casual as he had hoped.

‘Son of a bitch.’ He grumbled, shaking his head as he went in for another sip, earning him a questioning arched brow. 

But before she could ask Hunk shoved out from the kitchen just then with two large platters piled high with aromatic meats, the moment the scent hit his nose, saliva pooled in his mouth and he sat up straight. Pidge snorted, weird moment temporarily forgotten.

‘It’s like watching a dog salivate over a bone whenever Hunk serves you food, I bet you’d roll over if he asked you to.’

‘For Hunk’s cooking, I would do it.’ Keith agreed easily without an ounce of shame, had he mentioned just how good Hunk’s food was.

‘Gross.’ Keith side-eyed Pidge.

‘Don’t pretend you haven’t offered Hunk your first born for a batch of his peanut butter cookies.’ He jabbed.

‘I’d offer him my second and my third for a single cookie.’ She admitted with a nod.

‘Guys… please.’ Hunk groaned, face flushed with embarrassment, he slid the plates onto the bar and Keith completely ignored the cutlery to pick up a large T-bone steak with his hands, he tore into with his teeth and groaned around a hearty mouthful. The inside was still pink and bloody, and it was seasoned to perfection.

‘I hate watching you eat.’ Pidge said with a look of disgust, she pulled her laptop away from him.

‘Then don’t.’ He said around a mouthful.

‘It makes me happy you enjoy my food so much.’ Hunk, the angel that he was, said with a big grin. ‘I forgot to ask, how’s the house hunting going?’ Keith swallowed back the rest of the steak and wiped his jaw off with a napkin.

‘Found a place, bought it this morning.’

‘Oh, that’s great, I’m so glad you’ll be living nearby, it’ll be nice to see you more often. Where are you living now?’

‘You know the old manor up by the coast, the place with a decent plot of land?’ Keith was ready to dive back into his meat when the scent of melancholy wafted over his nose, he frowned and looked up at his friends with concern. Pidge and Hunk were sharing a look, Hunk looked more visibly upset while Pidge had her lips pursed in that way when she was trying not think of something. ‘What’s wrong?’ 

‘It’s…’ Pidge started but then stopped and sighed. ‘It’s the old McClain manor, they lived there up until about fifty years ago when their youngest son was killed.’ She told him, of course Keith knew that now, and it shouldn’t have surprised him that Pidge and Hunk knew about it to, after all, they had lived in Havana for a long time now.

He forced his hands to stop shaking as he calmly reached for another piece of meat, he wasn’t really paying attention to what cut it was. He had to ask them. They might know something about Lance, like what he was like or what he had looked like? Not that that part mattered much, he was Keith’s mate, he’d want him no matter.

‘I heard from the estate agent, about what happened… did you know them? The McClains?’ He asked haltingly, before taking another large bite out of the side of a fillet steak, he closed his eyes and groaned… so damn good.

‘Everyone in Havana knew the McClains.’ Pidge said like that was the obvious thing. ‘They were that rich family that practically threw away half their wealth supporting local businesses and any charity or cause that came their way… but mostly they threw some of the best parties around.’

‘Oh man yeah,’ Hunk agreed readily. ‘I’m not much a party demon but those parties were tasteful and their hors d’oeuvres were perfection, and don’t get me started on their ropa vieja.’ Hunk made an obscene sound. ‘Mama McClain may have been a mortal but she was magic in the kitchen.’

‘Those parties were alright,’ Pidge drawled, ‘but it was the after parties you really wanted to go to. The McClain kids really knew how to throw a rager and you can bet that the Witches were all over that shit.’

‘You know I always found it hard to believe that they were mortal sometimes,’ Hunk said thoughtfully, ‘there was always something about them.’

‘Right!’ Pidge exclaimed excitedly. ‘Though it probably had something to do with the way that lay lines crossed under their house, it was a location that attracted a lot of attention from magic sensitive supers. I did have a theory about that though, since the kids were born and grew up in that house they grew used to the high levels of magical energy.’ She tapped her fingers absent-mindedly against the bar top. ‘It’s the only reason I can think of that Lance could just waltz in here without triggering the wards.’

‘That would make sense actually if you consider…’ Keith stopped listening as Hunk and Pidge devolved into a conversation about the lands natural magic and it’s long term affect on humans. He just barely managed to not choke on the large chunk of steak he’d been about to swallow when Pidge and casually thrown out Lance’s name with a sense of familiarity.

Holy shit, they knew Lance. But how well did they know Lance? Had he been one of those mortals who had stumbled into The Bar and then lost all memory of it afterwards? Or were they quite familiar with him? Pidge did imply that they had attended their parties.

Would it be weird if Keith just started asking about Lance?

Did they even know that Lance was still haunting the manor?

How should he approach this?

‘Lance!’

But apparently, it wasn’t up to Keith because his wolf growled with impatience inside his head and Keith found his mouth moving before his brain could catch up and like deranged idiot he barked out Lance’s name loud enough that Pidge and Hunk startled and a few other patrons looked their way.

‘Yeah…?’ Pidge asked, watching Keith warily.

Keith cleared his throat and shifted in his seat awkwardly as he desperately tried to think of something to ask that didn’t sound too strange.

‘He was… the one that died, right?’ He asked haltingly.

‘Ah man, it makes me sad just thinking about it.’ Hunk whined. ‘Lance was a great guy; he really didn’t deserve to die the way he did.’

‘How did he die?’ He found himself asking against his better judgement.

‘Some entitled asshole beat on his sister, so Lance and his brothers got revenge by destroying the guys company, he got mad and came back with a knife, Lance got stabbed protecting his sister.’ She recalled.

Keith knew that Lance was dead, that was a truth he had already acknowledge so why, was hearing about Lance’s death now making him vibrate with fury, that had his wolf rising up inside him, snarling with a murderous rage, he had to take a few deep breaths to stop himself from jumping to his feet, from following the urges of his beast.

_Find the asshole that killed our mate and rip him to shreds._ The beast growled. _Tear his beating heart out of his chest and eat it._

_‘Shut up.’_ Keith urged. _‘I would love nothing more then that but Lance died fifty years ago, the guys is probably already dead.’_ He tried to reason. He wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince the beast or himself.

‘Ok, what the hell is wrong with you?’ Pidge asked, back tense and her eyes narrowed at Keith. ‘You’re wolfing out.’ She accused.

‘Is this a pre-moon hormonal thing?’ Hunk asked, looking over Keith nervously but body tensed as if he were getting ready to leap over the counter to subdue Keith if it came to it.

Keith swiped a hand over his face and forced himself to calm down, the wolf reluctantly receded but not before making its displeasure known and Keith winced. This full moon was going to be interesting if he and his beast were butting heads.

Instead of answering his friends questions he snatched up another slab of meat and ripped off a huge chunk with his teeth, hoping it would satisfy this new hunger, he chewed on it angrily while he tried not to envision how good it would feel to tear his mate’s murderer’s heart out and how fucking juicy it would taste.

He stopped that thought right in its tracks and chewed less angrily, he finished off the rest of the steak off with forced calm before wiping his face off with a new napkin and looking up at Hunk apologetically.

‘Sorry, I don’t know what came over me.’ No, that wasn’t true, he knew exactly what had come over him. And Pidge was the first to call him on it.

‘Bull shit.’ She snapped. ‘You’re acting weird and I’ve been with you right up until the night before a full moon before, so I know this isn’t normal pre-moon jitters.’ She narrowed her eyes as if she were trying to needle the information out him with sight alone. ‘What was it about Lance’s murder that set you off?’ She asked, hitting the goddamned nail straight on its head. ‘As far as I’m aware you two never met.’ 

‘Maybe it was just the mention of murder, Pre-moon Keith is known to get aggressive.’ Keith tried. It’s not that he didn’t want to tell them he’d found his mate, he was just still coming to terms with the idea of it and how would he explain to them that it was the very Lance they were talking about without them thinking he was crazy.

Pidge just snorted though, and he frowned down at her with a feeling that he should be offended by that.

‘Nice try, but Pre-moon Keith is a cuddle whore.’ Keith gasped.

‘Shiro is a piece of shit and liar, don’t listen to him.’ He snapped, even as his face melted with warm embarrassment. ‘I am a terrifying beast of nightmares.’

‘Who melts into a literal puddle of goo whenever someone hugs you.’ Pidge argued.

‘Pre moon Keith is a lot more noticeably affectionate then usual.’ Hunk added. Keith leant back on his bar stool and stared at Hunk with open shock, he placed a hand on his chest and then turned his stare on Pidge who just rolled their eyes in amusement, then looked back to Hunk.

‘I have never felt so betrayed before,’ He said, his voice low and broken with betrayal, that was like ninety-seven percent exaggerated. ‘I hope you don’t go around telling everyone these baseless lies, I have a reputation to uphold.’

‘You’re such a fucking a drama queen.’ Pidge snorted, shaking her head. ‘But you’re not going to distract me that easily. What’s going on with you, Keith?’ She asked, genuine concerned bleeding into her tone.

With a defeated sigh, he let’s his shoulders sag and confessed.

‘I found my mate.’

There was a moment of stunned silence before Hunk erupted into a stream of incomprehensible gushing, he sounded thrilled though, so Keith just smiled awkwardly and side-eyed Pidge. She was frowning though, her brow crinkled in that way she did whenever she was trying to solve a complicated puzzle. He made a quizzical sound prompting her to look up and she smiled.

‘That’s like super cool and all, but how does this apply to Lance?’

‘Because it’s him… he’s my mate.’

Pidge’s expression didn’t change, she stared at him as if she were waiting for him to say ‘Aaah Gotcha!’ except Keith wasn’t joking so he stared back just as impassively until Pidge realised he was telling the truth and she fell off her seat in shock.

‘What…? Are you shitting me! How..? But he’s… and you’re… Wait!’ Pidge scrambled back onto her seat and held up her hand for patience while she tried to gather her thoughts. ‘I have so many questions.’ She finally said.

‘Naturally.’

‘But more importantly when did you meet Lance? I feel like we would have noticed if you guys had hooked up before his death, and I think we would have noticed your descent into madness and grief at your loss and yet…’ She gestured to him. ‘You’re fine.’

‘Ok, first of all, please don’t refer to my relationship with my mate as “hooking up”.’ He warned. ‘And also, I never met Lance while he was alive, in fact I only just met him this morning.’

‘I’m confused.’ Hunk said. ‘Could we be talking about different people, I don’t want to make it seem like I think you’re crazy or anything but Lance… he died, mortals don’t just come back from that. Trust me, Lance was larger than life and it was easy to forget that he was just a mortal, but he was and he now he’s gone.’ Hunk looked down, everything about him in this moment radiated sadness, from his posture to his scent.

Just how close were they to Lance for it still radiate so much hurt?

‘No, we’re definitely talking about the same guy and I’m not disputing the fact that he’s dead, trust me I’m well aware of that reality, but he’s not gone.’

They both stared at him for a moment before exchanging looks that made Keith bristle.

‘I’m not losing it.’ He snapped, and he knew he’d interpreted the look correctly when they both flinch guiltily. ‘There is a ghost in my new house by the name of Lance and he is my mate.’

Pidge’s eyes widened and then she smacked her own face and groaned unintelligibly into the palm of her hand.

‘A ghost!’ She exclaimed once she was done mumbling to herself. ‘Why didn’t I think of that.’ She lamented loudly. ‘Of course Lance never passed on, he was always way too stubborn to do as he was told.’

‘Wasn’t that what we like about him in the end.’ Hunk said fondly. ‘We told him it was a bad idea to keep coming here but he wanted to be our friend, so he never listened and I for one was very glad he didn’t.’

‘Well yeah, that’s true…’ Pidge relented. ‘He was alright, for a mortal.’ She agreed. ‘But how can he be your mate and how do you know? Like, are you sure it’s him?’

‘There is never any uncertainty when it comes to a mate,’ Keith explained seriously, ‘if you’re not sure then they aren’t yours, I have no doubts here, he is definitely mine.’ He said with absolute certainty. ‘And a werewolf’s nose is sensitive, I knew who he was the moment I caught wind of his scent, his natural pheromones triggered my… um…’ He blushed. ‘… mating instincts.’ He trailed off awkwardly.

‘Interesting, so ghosts still have a scent but how do you mate with a ghost?’ Pidge asked, unfazed by the nature of her question.

‘We can’t, not like that, to bond I’d need to bite him, and as it is, even though he can touch me, I can’t reciprocate.’

‘But he could get you off right?’

‘For Fenrir’s sake Pidge!’ Keith hissed under his breath. ‘That’s personal, but yeah I suppose he could but that seems… kind of skeevy doesn’t it? And besides I don’t think I would feel comfortable with it being so one sided.’

‘It’s fine if he consents, from what I remember Lance wasn’t exactly shy when it came to sex.’ He found himself pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to remain calm.

‘Pidge, can we please stop talking about that, how to have sex with Lance is the least of my concerns right now, the real problem is that my mate is dead, and I have no idea where to go from here.’

‘Actually,’ Hunk interrupted, his face strangely pale and haunted. ‘The really problem is that one of my best friends has been dead for fifty years and he’s been all alone in that house all this time. Lance hated being alone.’

Pidge slumped guiltily and peered up at Hunk with a sheepish look.

‘Right, sorry.’ She said but then quickly perked up. ‘But he’s not alone anymore right, we can go and visit him and he has Keith now too, we’ll make it up to him.’

‘But we can’t see or hear him, we don’t have the senses that Keith does.’

‘I could probably see him.’ Pidge announced casually, like she hadn’t once again tilted Keith’s world.

‘What do you mean you can see him?’ He asked incredulously. She slowly pointed to her glasses and frowned.

‘I’m immortal, do you really think I actually need to wear these.’ Keith looked at the large thin framed glasses that had become a permanent feature on Pidge’s face since she started wearing them like a hundred years ago. He remembered thinking it was strange at the time, but never mentioned it to her. 

‘I thought it was a fashion thing you were into; I wasn’t going to question it.’ He admitted with a half shrug. She sent him a deadpan look in return.

‘When have I ever cared about fashion?’ She questioned with a grimace but then decided she didn’t care enough for an answer and continued on regardless. ‘These glasses are enchanted with a spell I created before I really got into tech magic, it allows me to look beyond the veil.’ She had lowered her tone to add an air of wonder and mystery to her announcement. Keith just tilted his head with a frown.

‘What?’ Pidge sighed, exasperated.

‘I see dead people.’ She clarified bluntly.

‘Why?’ He asked but he suddenly realised what she was saying and quickly interrupted her before she could begin her long winded explanation into magic of the glasses and it’s intended purpose. ‘Wait! That means you can see Lance.’

‘Exactly what I’m trying to tell you.’ Pidge exclaimed, hands in the air in frustration. ‘Ghosts are born from a strong will to live, in his dying moment Lance’s desire to live must have been so strong that he overwhelmed the natural order of things and instead of passing straight through to the void, he fell into the space in between. Ghosts are actually quite rare, since not many mortals have a strong enough will to defy death but like I said, Lance is a stubborn son of a bitch, especially if he’s managed to stick around for as long as he has.’ She made an impressed sound. ‘I’m really starting to think there was more to Lance then we knew, didn’t you say something about him being able to touch you?’ She questioned Keith.

‘Uh, yeah,' He blushed, suddenly reminded of all the tender touches that Lance had offered. '...he’s a very touchy person, it seemed like he could interact with objects as well.’ He chewed his lips thoughtfully. ‘He was also able to conjure strong winds from nowhere when he got angry or frustrated.’ He added.

Pidge’s eyebrows lifted in surprise.

‘He’s developed telekinetic powers? Ghosts don’t normally… hmm. Maybe Lance’s long exposure to the naturally occurring magic energy under his home has enabled him to develop a way for him to interact with our plane, if he had a strong enough will I wouldn’t be surprised if the magic responded to him favourably.’

‘Ok,’ Keith said slowly, ‘so if Lance wants something strong enough, the magic will cater for it.’

‘Kind of, but not really. Ok, how do I put this…’ She clicked her fingers and pointed at Keith. ‘You refer to your beast as a separate entity that lives inside you, you have to assert your dominance to stop your beast from taking over, that’s a Werewolves constant battle. For a Witch, we view magic as a living thing, it can be capricious and unpredictable, so we have to perform for it, do well, the magic works, make a mistake, it ignores you. Its why Witches love to party so much, it’s in our nature to be as exuberant as our magic.’

‘But you don’t party or act anything like the other witches.’ Keith pointed out.

‘That’s because I’m amazing.’ She said without missing a beat. ‘I’m a tinkerer Witch who deals mostly with enchantments, my magic responds well to me because it enjoys my creativity and my outlandish thinking.’

‘Cool, but what has this got to do with Lance?’ Keith asked.

‘It’s not uncommon for magic to take a liking towards an individual, super rare for it to be a mortal, but it happens, a burst of incredible luck just when you needed it most, all those unexplained things that mortals write off as a miracle, was probably down to magic responding to someone with an incredible amount of will.

‘Lance was born in that house, he grew up surrounded by that energy and I think on an unconscious level Lance was responding to it, matching it’s energy with his own. Watching Lance was like watching a performance sometimes, but he was never acting, that’s just the way he was, he was boundless energy wrapped up in the form of a charismatic idiot.’ Pidge sighed in amazement. ‘Magic is amazing.’

‘It sounds to me,’ Hunk said, ‘that Lance is the amazing one.’ Keith nodded his head in vigorous agreement. Lance did sound amazing. He wished he’d got to meet Lance while he was still alive, but that didn't change that fact that Lance was still a mortal, he would have grown old and died eventually, unless Lance would have chosen to be infected with lycanthropy to be with Keith but that was a choice that no werewolf took lightly since chances of survival were dismally low.

In fact, Keith was pretty sure he’d never met a werewolf that wasn’t born from werewolf parents.

‘But how do the glasses work?’ He heard Hunk ask.

‘There enchanted to allow me to see through to other planes, there are three in total, the Living Plane, which is ours, the Inbetween were Lance exists – which means your sniffer is so good you can literally smell through the veil that keeps our realities separated – and then there’s the Void.’

Pidge shuddered.

‘It’s as the name suggests, it’s a plane of nothing, and where dead people normally go after they die, it’s why resurrections rarely work right because the soul is being pulled out of the void where everything that soul knew about itself is gone.’ Pidge touched the side of her glasses idly. ‘I can adjust my glasses to be able to see into each plane, But I’ve only ever looked into the Void once, keep in mind that I’m not physically travelling to each of these realms, but it felt like the life was being drained out of me just by peering into it.’

Keith wondered if Lance had ever entered the Void. He thought about earlier and how Lance had completely disappeared from his senses, and then when he had finally reappeared his scent had been despondent and confused. He frowned down at his hands, feeling sick to his stomach with guilt, at the thought that he might have driven Lance into the void.

‘I wouldn’t be able to smell anything from the void, would I?’ He asked, interrupting whatever Pidge was telling Hunk, he already knew the answer.

‘Even if your sense of smell was that strong, there would be nothing for you to scent, it’s the Void.’

Then there was a good chance that’s where Lance had disappeared to. It left him feeling uncertain, Lance’s scent was the only way he could connect to him, he had no other way of knowing if Lance was safe, and no guarantee that the next time he accidentally fell into the Void that he would be able to come back. He couldn’t protect Lance at all.

It made him feel useless. What Wolf couldn’t protect their mate?

He looked back up to Pidge’s glasses and a thought occurred to him.

‘Could I use your glasses to see Lance?’ He asked. Pidge made an apologetic face and Keith’s small swell of hope sunk before she said anything.

‘It wouldn’t work, the glasses are attuned to me alone, if you tried wearing them it would probably just give you a migraine. I could probably try to recreate the magic I used but since switching my caste of magic to tech magic, I doubt I could get it to respond the old way, once a Witch chooses a path of magic it’s really hard to get our magic to respond any other kind of way.’ She reached forward and patted Keith’s shoulder in a consoling manner. He took a little comfort from the touch. ‘But I’ll try.’ She grinned. ‘If I can get it to work maybe I’ll enchant you a pair of sunglasses instead so you can keep your cool guy image.’ He chuckled.

‘Thanks Pidge.’

‘I don’t want to be inviting myself over, but do you think we could come see Lance?’ Hunk asked, nervous as if he expected Keith to say no.

‘Sure.’ Keith drained the rest of his drink. ‘Can I get the rest of this to go, Shiro would probably appreciate some.’ He asked, gesturing to what was left of his food. ‘If it’s cool with you guys we can go tomorrow morning, Shiro wanted me to ask you to put some wards up anyway, we can visit Lance at the same time.’

His wolf whined at him and Keith sighed. After everything he had learnt today, he was desperate to run back to Lance’s side so that he wasn’t alone. If it was the only comfort he could offer Lance right now, then why not, he’d stay up all night and talk until he couldn’t talk anymore, and Keith wasn’t very good at talking but for Lance he’d blabber on so that Lance no longer had to deal with the silence.

He pulled a face at his own thoughts. He’d only known Lance for a day and already he was becoming a huge sap.

He needed sleep though.

Tomorrow he would get the wards sorted and then he’d have no reason to leave the manor.

He waved goodbye to his friends and left for the hotel where he and Shiro were staying, as soon as he got in, he handed over the leftover meat and disappeared into his room after a quick exchange with Shiro.

Before falling into bed, he pulled out his phone and put in an order for a brand new bed to be delivered next day at the Manor. He let his phone fall on to the bedside table and immediately dropped off to sleep.

He dreamt of stormy beaches and the rain on his face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :) x


	6. Chapter Five - Is It Still Spring Cleaning If It Isn't Spring?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where memories are hard to hang on to and Keith is not a desperate pup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't normally have a schedule but this is out a little later then planned, unfortunately I'm still working even during the lockdown, my workplace is not an essential business but our building hosts an essential service which means I, who have nothing to do with this service must work regardless. Which is fine, I'm lucky to still have my job and to still have my full income, It's just scary how many people are disregarding the measures and don't respect our boundaries, if I have to remind one more person about the two meters rule again I might cry. 
> 
> Any way,
> 
> Next chapter! Hope you enjoy :) x

He’d grown used to the loneliness. It hadn’t been easy, not by any stretch of the imagination, he still didn’t like it, but he was used to it. At least he thought he had been. Now that he’d met Keith, the loneliness was unbearable.

After Keith and Shiro had left, Lance had been content to drift around the house replaying every single one of his and Keith’s interactions. Every touch, every smile, every look. He hoped he hadn’t been too forward but how was he supposed to resist Keith, he was so warm and alive and there was no way that anyone could have expected him to not be interested. Keith was handsome and he’d challenge anyone to look into those eyes and not feel some sort of way.

A thought niggled its way into whisper that maybe it was because Keith was the first person to have acknowledged him in such a long time, but somehow, he didn’t think so.

He was sure of it, because Shiro acknowledged him too, and sure it might have started off hostile but he had more then made up for it, and he wasn’t angry anymore now that he understood. And he was ridiculously handsome too, but Shiro didn’t illicit warm and fuzzy feelings in his dead heart.

Just Keith.

He was still unsure about to do with the werewolf side of things, it probably didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, if Keith could accept him as he was, then the rest was just details.

Lance spent a lot of the remaining day floating from room to room, his frown getting progressively deeper as he went. He knew the house was in shambles, but he’d turned a blind eye to it all because to see the house deteriorate around him was just another reminder of the endless loneliness.

Saddened by what he saw when he allowed himself to look, he drifted up towards the blue room. It was a room that had always brought him great comfort. He felt that the room might have been his once, but he couldn’t really remember, all he knew was that he liked how the blue looked in the morning light.

But now it was the room he would begin to associate with meeting Keith.

He sat on the window seat and rested his back against the window frame to look longingly outside. Keith was out there somewhere… living. Lance frowned and looked down at his hand, he turned it over, but it didn’t really matter which way he held his hand, he could see the faded and worn material of the window seat right through it.

Because he was dead. 

He tucked his hands between his legs and turned his attention outside when he heard the pitter patter of raindrops on the windowpane. He flicked his head and the curtains parted fully to give him an uninterrupted view of the rain.

It was soothing. The steady beating of the rain hitting the roof. The rivulets of water streaming down the glass, droplets sliding and converging together to make interesting patterns that Lance liked to trail with his fingers. The way it sprayed off the windowsill when it landed heavily. He liked torrential rain that hit so hard and fast that it was like listening to the static of an old television set. He liked drizzly rain, it was quieter, but liked the way it danced. He liked misty rain because it was atmospheric and beautiful.

Right now it was a light rain, matching the level of his melancholy perfectly.

It always seemed to rain when he was sad, but instead of associating it with sadness, he instead looked at it as comfort because when he lost himself in the rain, he would forget why he was sad and the sun would stream through the grey clouds, lighting up the wet landscape and making it glisten like a thousand jewels were laying out at his feet.

And no matter what, the sun always came.

But the sun was dipping behind the trees now and he watched as the moon climbed higher and higher, the clouds parting as it rose so that Lance could track its movement keenly and with it the rain slowed and with the last few drops, it went away.

The moon had a different feeling then the sun, and though Lance preferred the sight of rays streaming down (and he suspected that he might have been a person that liked the warmth given how much he hated feeling cold), the way the moon made everything glow was just as soothing. And even better, when the last of the clouds faded, the stars blanketed the night sky for as far as the eyes could see.

Melancholy abated, Lance’s thoughts turned to Keith and a dopey smile spread across his face.

Soon, Keith would be coming to live here with him, and the loneliness would be a thing of the past.

Wait… Keith would be coming to live here!

Lance sat up straight and looked around himself, reminded brutally of the state of the house. It was a mess, there was no way that they were going to be living here straight away when it looked like this, and as the host, there was no way that he could let them live in this mess, what would his mama say if she knew…

And ok… so he didn’t really know what she would say but he could bet it wouldn’t be good.

Ok. This was fine, Lance could handle this, he may be a ghost, but that didn’t mean he was helpless. He would spruce this place up and maybe Keith would want to stay forever. Well, ok, he wouldn’t make Keith stay if he didn’t want to but it would be nice if he stuck around for a while at least.

It was comforting to know that Lance couldn’t scare him off.

He looked over the curtains critically before waving his hand and sending a gentle waft if air towards it, the material jostled and a plume of dust erupted into the air and swirled in the moonlight. Yeah, that was too much dust, he was pretty certain humans shouldn’t be breathing in this amount.

Immortal or not, it wouldn’t be comfortable for them to be breathing all this in.

But Lance didn’t need to breathe so with a determined grin of a man about to enter into battle, he rolled up his mental sleeves and got ready to flex his ghostly muscles.

Lance floated up into the center of the room and flexed his fingers before reaching outwards, fingers splayed, he allowed the power to well up like static, as it always did when ever he used his ghost powers (for lack of a better term) and then he grit his teeth and clenched his hands as if he were digging his fingers into something and yanked harshly.

Dust erupted from every surface in the room, dragged into the air by an invisible force and into a vortex that surrounded Lance. He fixed his gaze on the window latch, it unhooked and the windows blew open and the moment they did Lance formed loose finger guns and aimed them at the window, the gale that surrounded Lance, changed direction and funnelled out through the window.

Once the last of it disappeared through the window Lance planted his hands on his hips and looked around the room with an impressed little nod.

‘Much easier than dusting.’ Lance said aloud, in amusement. ‘That’s for sure.’

He drifted over to the open window and watched as the curtains swished lightly in the gentle night breeze that was drifting in through the open window and then looked outside. Drops of rain still sat on the windowsill and Lance reached out to touch one, it reacted just as one would expect, dislodged from its spot it trickled down the tilted ledge, joining with other drops as it went before finally dripping off the edge.

He looked at his finger and sighed sadly. What had he expected? One man wasn’t going to solve all his problems, he should just be grateful that Keith was willing to share his warmth with Lance and not get to greedy.

It would be nice feel the rain again though, and it would be nice to smell the air. If he tried hard enough, he could trick himself into believing that he could smell the salty sea air mixing with the fresh rainsmell coming from the gardens below the window.

But it was always just out of his reach.

He backed away from the window and shook off the gloom but hesitated when it came to closing the window. He may not be able to enjoy the fresh air, but the house could probably do with some. He instead flung the door open and trailed through it into the hallway. He looked both ways and with a small shrug he waved an arm and all the doors slammed open simultaneously.

He drifted down the hallway flinging windows open as he passed by each room.

At the beginning he recalled spending a lot of time in each of these rooms, they’d once been so familiar to him, comforting, but as time had passed the reasons had begun to fade with it, the comfort he had sought only brought him pain and confusion.

He could guess that the rooms had belonged to his siblings, he knew from his journal that he had had them, he knew names, and small anecdotes but their faces had faded from his memory and the feelings associated with each one gone with them.

Turnabout is fair play, after all, they had left to forget him, and now Lance had forgotten them.

The rooms didn’t illicit any form of feeling from him anymore, the idea of siblings was a distant memory now. The Lance that he was now didn’t have any brothers or sisters.

But there was one member of his old family though that haunted his waking dreams.

He stopped in front of the door at the end of the hallway. The master bedroom. His parents would have slept here. His father he couldn’t remember, no matter how hard he tried, his mother though…

He couldn’t conjure up her face for the death of him, or the warm feelings associated with the title but he was sure, that in his darkest moments when he was lost in the nothingness and giving up felt like his only option, that he could hear her singing.

He didn’t know how he knew it was her, but he did and in all the things that Lance had lost to time he refused to lose his grip of that song and that voice.

Absented-mindedly he began to hum, the song didn’t sound as uplifting when Lance sang it now, his echoey voice only made it sound haunting, but hearing the words bought him comfort anyway.

‘… You may no longer be small…’ Lance murmured as he stared at the door. ‘…or need my help at all…’ Even from the beginning Lance never came into this room. ‘…but you’ll always have… love from my heart…’ He was sure he could still hear the echo of her gut wrenching cries when he had first manifested after his death. ‘…no matter how far we are apart…’ He lifted his hand and a gust of wind pushed the door all the way open.

‘…you are ours, we are yours, so rest easy and know that our love will last as long as the wind soars.’ Lance finished quietly; eyes clouded over as he stared vacantly into the dark doorway.

The pitter patter of rain started up again and Lance shook himself of the trance like state and looked up at the ceiling with a frown.

‘Huh… sure is crazy weather tonight.’ He muttered. ‘Now what was I doing again?’ He looked to the door, then to hallway behind him and made a small confused sound before shrugging, but then he remembered. ‘Spring cleaning!’ And then frowned thoughtfully. ‘Is it even spring right now, and is it still called spring cleaning if it’s done during another season?’ He asked the empty hallway, with an unconcerned hitch of his shoulder he floated right into the room in front of him.

Empty and dark as the moonlight didn’t reach this part of the house, he flung the thick curtains apart and opened the window, and wow. The rain that had started up again had already started to lessen but it did nothing to detract from the beauty of the ocean spread out before the house.

He smiled wistfully and turned away from the scene, one could lose days staring at the ocean, he would know, but he needed to get things done because Keith would be here tomorrow, and he’d barely gotten started.

‘Get ready dust, because I’m about to kick your metaphorical butt.’

And he yanked.

He worked non-stop throughout the night and well into the morning, until finally he was in the last room of the house. He stood at the center of the large greeting room where he had first met Shiro and watched with a measure of pride as the last of the dust sailed right through the open windows.

And then he relaxed and admired his work. All the long curtains that puddled the floor artfully, billowed gently as the fresh morning breeze came in through the long open windows and light filtered in giving the room a soft morning glow.

It wasn’t perfect, given the room had no furniture except for the lone love-seat, that had been left behind in the previous tenants haste to leave, which he’d left covered with a dust sheet, but it at least looked less gloomy and far more fresh.

Hopefully Keith would like what he had done. 

The front door burst open behind him and Lance screeched in fright, he spun in the air and lifted his hands to fend of the intruder only to find Keith out in the hallway, head swiveling all over the place, a frown marring his face with worry. His nostrils flared and then he turned his head to look into the greeting room, exactly at the spot where Lance was floating.

The giddiness at seeing Keith is what drove Lance to soar across the room with a happy shout, Keith’s eyes widened in surprise right before he opened his arms and Lance sailed right into them. Keith was like a wall; despite the force of the impact Keith didn’t even budge an inch which Lance was grateful for, the last thing he wanted to do was accidentally fling Keith into a wall and hurt him.

He wrapped his arms tightly around Keith’s middle and buried his face into his shoulder with a happy little nuzzle, he soaked in all the warmth he could and he hoped that if he stayed like this long enough the warmth would bury itself inside Lance and stay there forever.

Keith chuckled quietly.

‘A guy could get used to a welcome like this.’ His voice rumbled just right in Lance’s ear and if Lance was capable of it, he was sure it would send a shiver right down his spine and a zing straight up into his belly. He pulled back to get a look at Keith’s face and didn’t know if the soft look he was receiving was any better for his state of mind.

He still couldn’t understand how Keith could look at him like that, but he shouldn’t question his good fortune, he should just enjoy Keith’s attention while he had it.

‘I’d give you as many warm welcomes as you want as long you keep coming back.’ He murmured softly in return.

There was click from the door which startled them apart and they both turned their heads to the front door where two people Lance hadn’t noticed before were standing.

The short one stood in front of the tall stocky one, she had mischievous grin plastered across her face and a device held up in front of her, he frowned in confusion but judging by the choked noise coming out of Keith, he knew what the device was.

‘Delete that.’ Keith snapped.

‘No way,’ She said immediately, tucking the thing in her pocket with a smug little smile. ‘this is valuable proof that soft Keith exists, who would believe me otherwise.’ She snickered. 

‘Pidge, If I catch wind of you selling that photo to anyone, I will eviscerate you.’ Keith threatened with a growl. But this Pidge seemed largely unaffected by the threat and casually looked at her fingernails, she snorted.

‘As if you would ever find out.’ But before Keith could retort her gaze pinned Lance down and he found himself straightening in shock. Her amber eyes were looking directly into his as if… he waved, and she arched a brow and snorted.

‘I have to say, you look awful.’ She said in a conversational manner, as if she hadn’t just rocked the foundations of Lance’s entire existence.

‘You can see me?!’ He screeched, leaving Keith’s side to throw himself in Pidge’s face, she stumbled back with a start, the big guy steadying her from behind, apologetically, Lance pulled back a little, but still hovered eagerly close by, and then he realized what she had said and pulled back further.

He turned away, feeling suddenly quite self-conscious. He hurriedly tried to flatten his hair, brushing loose stray petals that liked to get caught between the strands, and then he patted his hands down over his shirt but paused.

This was stupid, the petals would just return, and his shirt would stay torn and bloodied no matter what he did. Dejectedly, he stopped fussing over his appearance and instead peeked over his shoulder with an annoyed glare.

‘I’m dead,’ He grumbled in way of explanation, then he turned fully, placed a hand on his cocked hip and looked Pidge up and down with his best unimpressed look. ‘What’s your excuse?’ He snapped back. Ha, take that, he crowed mentally.

‘I have no idea what you’re saying,’ Pidge said, clearly irritated by this realisation, ‘but I know that look well enough to know that you’re sassing me.’ And then to his surprise she smiled widely. ‘It’s good to see you again Lance.’

Lance haltingly dropped his hand and his irritation faded to confusion. She spoke as if they knew each other but Lance couldn’t remember her face.

‘I’m here too,’ the big guy added, waving awkwardly from behind Pidge, now Lance was sure that he couldn’t see him because he was looking right at Lance’s groin. Lance drifted down so they were more at eye level. ‘I’m really sorry we didn’t visit sooner, it didn’t occur to us that you’d end up becoming a ghost, I know how much it scares you to be alone for too long.’

Lance’s eyes shot wide open at the small addition, he took in the guilt-ridden expression and the hopeful little smile and he felt awful because despite the fact that this guy knew something so intimate about Lance, he had no idea who these guys were.

Time made him forget but he never thought he’d be confronted with it; he had just assumed that everyone else had already forgotten about him.

So, it was strange to be face to face with two strangers who had known him in life, it’d been over fifty years since he’d died, and Pidge didn’t look any older than fifteen. Immortals possibly, like Keith. He darted a quick glance between them and then at Keith before returning to them helplessly. The big guy was still talking, his hands wringing nervously as he spoke, but Pidge was looking at him curiously, like she was working him out.

‘Hunk, stop talking.’ Lance startled when Keith snapped at the big guy who was equally as startled, he stopped talking mid-word so that his mouth hung open awkwardly and when Lance checked, Keith was glaring over at Hunk. With a lingering warning look, he finally turned to face Lance, his face softening to concern.

He held a hand up and Lance didn’t hesitate to grasp it between his hands. He used his grip to pull himself closer and let the feeling of something solid ground him. Experimentally he began dipping his fingertips the into the center of Keith’s palm and tracing the lines, he stretched out Keith’s fingers gently and ran the tip of his finger over the stretch of skin between each one, before lacing his fingers through the gaps and squeezing softly.

Keith waited patiently while Lance explored, and though his expression was a mixture of concern and contentment, there was something dark and wanton in his grey eyes.

Lance forgot about the others in the room as he lost himself in the look, that was until Pidge coughed pointedly and Lance forced his gaze away with great reluctance.

‘Lance?’ Pidge was the one to ask. She seemed to hesitate. ‘You… don’t remember us, do you?’

‘Wait, what?’ Hunk exclaimed.

Lance dropped his gaze to the floor guiltily before lifting his shoulder in a small helpless shrug and shaking his head lightly, he looked up to offer an apologetic smile.

‘I don’t.’ He said. ‘I’m sorry.’ 

***

Seven o’clock in the morning wasn’t that early, Keith thought, he woke up earlier than that to go for his morning runs since it was his favourite time of the day. So, he thought Pidge was being a bit dramatic when she called to yell at him for waking her up at six AM to meet outside the manor.

He’d winced through a few choice words and rolled his eyes at her threat of bodily harm; it wasn’t his fault she didn’t think time should exist before midday. He had explained that it was the best time because it was before Hunk opened the bar and he was expecting a delivery anyway, then promptly told her to stop being a brat and to get her and terrible sleeping habits out of bed.

He did resent being called a desperate pup looking to get some tail though.

He wasn’t desperate…

And even if he was, it was completely natural for a werewolf to want to be close to their mate so soon after meeting.

Whatever. This was Keith’s house now, he could be here at any time of the day he wanted.

He leant back against one of the pillars that framed the driveway and pulled out his phone to shoot Pidge another text.

**You’re late.**

The responding text was kind of hard to read considering it was a string of badly written expletives and a lot of angry emoji faces. It occurred to him after he had sent back middle finger emoji that she might have cursed him via text.

**You didn’t curse me did you?**

She responded with a shrug emoji and a winky face. For fucksake, why was he best-friends with a witch again?

He wasn’t too concerned, if she had cursed him it was likely to be something that would be a mild inconvenient at best, probably when he least expected it but still frustrating enough to satisfy Pidge’s thirst for mischief and revenge.

 **Hurry the fuck up!!** He angrily typed out before shoving the phone back into his pocket. He crossed his arms and took a deep breath. His gaze slid towards the house where Lance was waiting, if he concentrated hard enough, he could just make out the sharp notes of his scent through the briny ocean smell and the one of fresh wet grass.

He frowned. That was strange. He didn’t think it had rained last night and yet, as his eyes raked over the front lawn, he could see lingering droplets of rainwater that had yet to sink into the earth.

He was distracted from the thought when he caught wind of Pidge’s scent in the air before she rounded the corner, closely followed by Hunk’s, and turned to greet them.

Pidge was wrapped up in a thick green jumper that was way too big for her, the sleeves were rolled enough that her fingers peeked out, from where they swung at her sides. He lifted a brow at the sight of her bed hair, unruly waves that stuck up at odd angles and then to piss her off he smiled cheerfully.

‘Don’t you just love the crisp morning air?’ He called out with a toothy grin.

‘Fuck off!’ She yelled.

Hunk on the other looked as fresh as always, he waved amicably at Keith who gave him a more genuine smile in return.

‘You waste the best half of the day with your broken sleep pattern.’ Keith chided when Pidge and Hunk reached him.

‘I’m immortal.’ She grumbled, looking at the manor as she spoke. ‘I’ve got plenty of time to waste.’ She stepped up to the gate and bent down to look at something, Keith followed her gaze but didn’t really see anything of consequence, he exchanged glances with Hunk who shrugged. Pidge then shucked up her sleeves and then wrapped her hands around the bars of the gate with a concentrated frown.

Everyone stood in silence while Pidge did whatever she was doing, every so often Keith would glance at the manor, silently pleading with Pidge to hurry the heck up because he was certain that Lance was waiting for him, but he knew better then to interrupt her when she had that little divot between her brows, so he squashed down the temptation to leap over the wall and waited.

Eventually Pidge shuffled back with a thoughtful hum and scratched at her forehead, she didn’t explain anything, and Keith was growing impatient.

‘What was that about?’ He asked finally.

‘Can’t you sense it?’ She asked without turning away from the house. ‘This place is already heavily warded.’

‘Somebody already put wards up? But who?’ Keith asked, leaning around Pidge as if he could see whatever she was seeing.

‘That’s what I can’t see. Witches always leave a signature after completed spell work, but I don’t see any signatures. It’s a powerful warding spell though, I’ve never seen anything as potent as this before, it would be crazy for a Witch to not leave a calling card for a spell of this calibre.’

‘Could a non-witch have made the ward?’ Hunk asked.

‘I mean… sure.’ Pidge agreed reluctantly. ‘But it feels different, I’d almost believe that the magic is weaving itself, rather then being woven by an individual. It feels protective, fiercely so, of something that’s inside the house… or someone.’

‘Lance?’ Keith asked. Pidge nodded.

‘I wonder…?’ Pidge trailed off thoughtfully. ‘I mean it’s possible, but the implications are…’ She devolved into mumbling and Keith sighed.

‘Pidge.’

She looked up and blinked owlishly at him.

‘Keith… it feels like a mother’s love.’

Now Keith wouldn’t know anything about that, he barely remembered what it was like to have a mum, his memories of those times were murky at best. If he allowed himself to think about it at all he could remember sharp but kind and insightful eyes that were always patient with him, a soft chuckle and a warm embrace, but the memories were tainted by screams and fire, of Keith lost and alone crying for his mum and dad but no one came… until Kolivan appeared out of the smoke, heart break in his eyes but face strong for a small pup who had lost everything.

Yeah… Keith didn’t like to recall those memories so he buried them back down as deep as his conscious would allow.

‘You’ll have to explain.’ Keith groused but Pidge just shook her head and hitched her backpack up as she turned to face the gate.

‘It’s just a theory,’ She explained, ‘Magic is complicated and difficult to explain and even after three hundred plus years I still don’t know everything… I don’t think I’d have the words to describe it even if I tried. But if it makes you feel any better,’ She looked over her shoulder at Keith with a small smile. ‘He’s safe here.’

But the begged the question of what was Lance being kept safe from? What enemy could a ghost have and whatever it was could Keith even protect Lance from it? On one side it was a relief that Lance was safe, but on the other it put him on edge, what unseen danger lurked and now that the thought was planted in his mind he couldn’t shake the paranoid feeling that they weren’t alone.

‘Let’s get inside.’ Keith urged, looking around them nervously before pulling out his set of the keys to the gate.

Keith unlocked the gate and let Pidge and Hunk pass through first before going in himself and making sure it was locked securely behind him. It was as he was turning the key when he heard Pidge suck in a harsh breath, her fear tainting the air around him. He spun around quickly, scanning the area for lurking enemies but he couldn’t see or smell anything unwelcome or strange in the air.

Except for Pidge’s terror.

He looked over his friends to see Hunk comforting Pidge who had her eyes squeezed closed. She was whispering something over and over to herself.

‘…Shouldn’t have done that, should not have done that…’

‘What happened?’ Keith demanded, storming over.

Pidge pulled a face, swallowed loudly and finally opened her eyes, her gaze fixed anxiously at the gates, she touched the edge of her glasses.

‘I looked into the void, to test a theory, and I was right… Wraiths are swarming around this house, that’s what the wards are protecting Lance from.’

So, there was an enemy. He put himself between Pidge and the gate, squinting his eyes to try and see what she had seen. ‘It’s no good, you can’t fight them, they’re creatures of the void.’

‘What are they and what do they want with Lance?’ Keith questioned gruffly.

‘No one knows much about the wraiths, but what we do know is that they were once ghosts, like Lance.’ A tendril of panic wrapped itself around Keith’s heart and tightened, he eyed the gate warily for a moment longer before shifting around to look at Pidge.

‘So, Lance could become one of them?’

‘Yeah, he could. A ghost is born when their will is strong enough to resist passing on, but time can be unkind, ghosts can forget and then the bitterness settles in, bitterness turns into a deep hatred towards the living which is why some ghost resort to tormenting mortals. Eventually they forget everything except for their hatred, then the void draws them in and twists them into empty husks.’ She shuddered. ‘There’s no humanity left in them, just a hungering hatred.’

‘Are they trying to turn Lance?’ Because if they were, it didn’t matter if they were an enemy he couldn’t fight, he would find a way, no matter what it took, and he would keep Lance safe, he wouldn’t let Lance turn into one of them.

‘I don’t know what they want with him, but as long as Lance remains inside the grounds they can’t reach him, so whatever stupid heroics you’re planning, stop it, because the only way into the void is through true death.’ She said with a sharp warning glare.

He wouldn’t lie and say it hadn’t crossed his mind, he’d spent a lot of the night racking his brain for ways that he could be with his mate, but he didn’t think he was willing to go through with something so final to be with a boy, mate or not.

‘I’m not planning on dying any time soon, so stop glaring at me already.’ Keith grumbled. ‘You sure those things won’t pass through?’

‘Positive, but I could put together a ward that will strengthen the potency of the pre-existing one, maybe the other Witches will lend a hand, they were all pretty fond of Lance back in the day.’

‘I would appreciate that,’ He said with a sigh, ‘thanks Pidge.’ He looked over her head towards the house and did a double take when he noticed that all the windows were wide open. Curtains from some of the rooms had been drawn out and were flapping in the breeze. He frowned.

He and Shiro hadn’t opened those.

Without really planning it, Keith charged right past Pidge and Hunk and straight into the house, shoulders shoving at the door, no doubt breaking the lock in the process but he didn’t care about that because the wolf in his head was growling warnings in the back of his mind.

His mate was in trouble.

Except, he came to an immediate stop in the middle of the hallway, because when he caught Lance’s scent in the air, it was sweet with contentment. He turned his head to look through the arch way that lead into the big room where curtains billowed and light filtered in, but that wasn’t what captured Keith’s attention, because he was sure, that for a just a second he saw the outline of a figure floating in the centre of room, he blinked and it was gone. And that’s when Lance noticed him.

Excitement burst across his senses like popping candy and he opened his arms just in time to catch Lance, invisible arms wrapped tightly around him like a vice and a face was tucked neatly into the crook of his neck, ghostly strands of hair tickled his cheek. Lance’s pure unadulterated joy swept away all of Keith’s concerns and worries and he instead allowed himself to enjoy the scent of his mate.

He let his arms hover awkwardly in the air around where he thought Lance’s waist would be, wishing he could hug Lance just as tightly, so that he could convey how much the separation had bothered him too.

‘A guy could get used to a welcome like this.’ He joked, he lifted a hand and imagined he was running it over the back of Lance’s head. And then he caught a sharp spike of something spicy mixed with the sweet that had heat curling low in his gut. Lance pulled back and it was a pain not to see what expression Lance was wearing, but a person’s scent never lied. He licked his lips…

A shutter click of a camera phone broke the intimate moment and Keith barely repressed an annoyed growl when he turned to find Pidge and Hunk standing at the door, Pidge had her phone up and irritation clawed at him because they were intruding on a private moment with his mate…

He took a deep breath and pushed down the wolf brain that had overcome his senses. They meant no harm, they were invited, they were friends, and not only his, but Lance’s too.

And then Pidge immediately insulted his mate and he was ready to pick her up and punt her right over the garden wall.

He forced himself to sit back and the let the interaction play out, even if a small (huge) part of him was annoyed that Lance’s focus wasn’t entirely on him, though it was nice to enjoy the variety of Lance’s emotions until distress joined the mix.

He barked at Hunk and redirected Lance’s attention, terrified that Lance would vanish again, now that he understood what the void was and what it could do to him, he was especially motivated to make sure that Lance never ended up there again.

But how could he help Lance?

Touch, Lance liked to touch him. He presented a hand and immediately he felt the chill pressure of Lance’s hands wrapping around his, he soaked in the relief and stood transfixed as those deft fingers worked over his hands. Gentle fingertips traced each line on his palm reverently, before moving to his finger. He stood patiently, allowing Lance to manipulate his hand and finally, he felt the cold weight settle between his own fingers. Keith pressed his fingers down as much as he dared, and Lance squeezed tight enough it might have hurt anyone else.

But not Keith. The touches, though phantom, had sent sparks all the way up through his arms, making the hairs stand on end and goosebumps to break out over his skin, he shivered lightly as he looked up at where he thought Lance’s face might be and enjoyed the way the distress melted to something warm.

And… Pidge cleared her throat pointedly forcing Keith to grit his teeth so hard it was almost painful; it was either that or snap his teeth at her. He sucked in a deep breath to sooth the beast and lamented Lance’s lost attention to instead focus on what Pidge was saying.

‘You… don’t remember us, do you?’ Pidge asked slowly.

‘Wait, what?’ Hunk barked, his eyes going wide. He felt a frown pull at his mouth when he focused on Lance’s scent and found cloying guilt.

‘How much have you forgotten?’ Pidge’s question was more urgent this time, and Keith didn’t like what it meant that Lance was forgetting things.

Ghost that forget their humanity become Wraiths.

Were they too late?

But Lance never showed any signs of being angry or bitter, his scent had never taken on the toxicity that he normally associated with hatred nor had he picked up on any resentment that Lance might be harbour towards him for being alive.

Maybe he hadn’t forgotten enough or maybe whatever magic protected this house was also preventing Lance was turning. He focused on the solid press of Lance’s frosty hand still clutching his like a lifeline to reassure himself and his wolf that Lance was still here and still sane.

Lance’s scent was bordering on distressed again and Keith was done upsetting Lance for today so he interrupted Pidge before her analytical brain started whirring and she devolved into asking a stream of questions that would border on uncomfortably invasive.

‘Guys, I’m sorry but maybe we could do this another day, I don’t want to speak for Lance but he’s upset and I’d rather he wasn’t, so give him time to process this and then we’ll try this again.’ Pidge looked ready to argue but Hunk jumped in before she could say anything.

‘We understand.’ He told Keith before turning his gaze to roughly where Lance stood and smiled reassuringly. ‘I’m sorry if we pressured you, we were just so excited to realise you were still around, it was… when we’d found out that you’d died…’ Hunk shook his head. ‘It’s fine, we’ll let you settle and then later we can get to know each other again, when you’re ready, okay?’

Pidge sighed, pouting off to the side. ‘He nodded.’ She glanced away and then back again. ‘I’m sorry Lance, we just missed you.’ She admitted quietly. Her face set into one of determination. ‘But I think I’ve found the motivation I was looking for.’ She announced excitedly. ‘Gotta go, there’s something super important I need to do. Bye!’ And then she spun on the spot and ran out of the door.

They all watched her leave in bemusement.

‘I should head off to, need to prepare the bar and what not. It was nice to see… well not see you because I can’t see you, but it was nice to find out you’re aren’t completely gone, I’m sorry you were alone for so long. But I don’t think you have to worry about that anymore.’ And then threw Keith an over the top wink, before leaving with a wave.

Don’t get Keith wrong, he loved his friends dearly, but thank fuck they were gone.

And then came the realisation that he and Lance were alone now.

 _Finally._ His wolf growled with a salacious intent.

 _Get your moon addled brain back out of the gutter._ Keith snapped internally. _Obviously, we’re not doing that._

_Shame._

Keith wanted to be irritated but, he inhaled more of Lance’s giddy scent and suppressed a whine because honestly, yeah it was a damn shame not to be able to hold Lance right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you're all safe :) x


	7. Chapter six - Jealousy, Thy Name Is Lance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit late with this chapter, I was having a lot of trouble getting my words together, in my head they were fine but I was having a tough time transferring it to written word and it's been a tiring week at work (and... animal crossing. Am I right?). 
> 
> Any who, I hope you've all had a safe couple of weeks and here's chapter six. Enjoy ;) x

Keith would be the first to admit that he was impulsive. He called it acting on his instincts, his wolf could be hair-brained and a bit of a shit, but he never led Keith astray – much.

Shiro would call it “reckless”, but Keith felt he’d already made it clear that Shiro’s opinion didn’t matter here. 

And no, it didn’t matter how many people agreed with him.

But despite what everyone thought, Keith actually had a lot of restraint, if he didn’t, Keith would have been involved in a lot more brawls in his time. Adam always liked to tease Keith about it, telling him that he was suppressing his wolf’s carnal needs and that Keith should indulge in “pleasures of the flesh” to work through his and his wolf’s aggression.

Keith fondly remembered telling him that he knew exactly how to channel his aggression and then proceeded to roundhouse kick Adam straight through Shiro’s office wall, much to Shiro’s chagrin.

But right now, as Lance’s cheerful, bubbly… intoxicating, scent curled around him as Lance dragged him all over the house excitedly… Keith’s restraint was really being tested.

The idea of indulging in “pleasures of the flesh” was becoming a more appealing idea the more time he spent in Lance’s presence, except… there was no flesh with which to draw pleasure from because Lance was a ghost and Keith was growing increasingly more frustrated.

But not at Lance, never Lance, he was getting frustrated at himself because apparently pre moon Keith was completely capable of becoming a horny idiot when given the right motivation, and because he felt guilty for wanting that of Lance when he couldn’t even give Lance a simple hug.

Sex, and the mechanics of it between a ghost and a werewolf, were probably the last thing on Lance’s mind right now.

_Focus Keith, Lance is excited you’re here and you’re too busy thinking with your lower brain –_ or was it his wolf brain? Though right now, they felt like the same damn thing.

Keith restrained another groan of frustration. This was a really awkward time for him to suddenly find his mate, it probably wouldn’t have been a problem if Lance had been alive – not that he could hold Lance accountable for that – it would have been easy to just swoop Lance right of off his feet and ravage him right on up until and during the full moon.

And Keith had heard stories – not entirely willingly, but wolves liked to boast – that spending the full moon with a mate was supposed to be an enlightening experience, to be buried in your mate’s welcoming scent and body… well, it sounded pretty amazing now that Keith understood what all the hype was about.

But at the time he had been more interested in the stories where a mate’s scent could offer clarity even when the wolf took over, to bring harmony between the man and the wolf.

And he could believe it, since meeting Lance, he and his wolf could finally agree on something whole-heartedly, and that was on how much they wanted Lance.

Right now, he was trialing Lance’s scent around the house, a mixture of soft contentment and excitement tickling his nose pleasantly. Lance took him through all the rooms he hadn’t bothered to look through before, each decorated in unique styles, that for some odd reason brought a lump to Keith’s throat as he thought about the fact that each of these rooms had probably once belonged to Lance’s siblings.

He didn’t smell distressed or even sad, in fact his excitement was so tangible that Keith could almost picture Lance waving his hands around as he spoke, he could imagine it so well that Keith, despite not being able to hear a word of what Lance might be saying, found himself nodding along as he peered into each room and looking suitably impressed.

Was Lance’s family a thing that Lance had forgotten over time? Another casualty of Lance’s tragedy, his memories of the people he cared about most, the people he was willing to die for.

Keith blinked back into the moment, his melancholy momentarily set aside as Lance poked the side of face, it was accompanied by an inquisitive little scent and another softer touch that Keith read as a question.

Keith offered Lance a smile.

‘Sorry, I was thinking.’ Another soft questioning touch. ‘Nothing you need to worry about.’ He reassured before refocusing his attention back on the room.

He took in the open curtains that swayed lightly in the cool autumn breeze, morning light streamed in making the room look light and airy. And now that Keith was looking and his head wasn’t consumed by thoughts of Lance – for the minute at least– other scents were able to sneak past Lance’s overwhelming one.

The air, though still tinged with musk and mildew, was fresher, his nose didn’t tickle when he sniffed the air like it had yesterday. He looked around the room with his sharper eyes and noticed with surprise that there was not a speck of dust to be seen.

The rooms were still in states of disrepair, peeling wallpaper stained with time, moisture in the carpets that explained the mildew smell, the white paint of the skirting boards was cracked and yellowed.

But Lance had made an effort to clean the place up, for him. All the open windows had allowed a gentle draft to waft through the house giving it a more welcoming vibe. Keith hummed thoughtfully and thought that maybe Shiro was right, now that he was seeing it in the way that Lance wanted it to be seen… it definitely had a lot of potential, and not just as a base, but as a home.

Home?

Home was an abstract idea to Keith. Before joining Shiro’s pack, he’d been part of nomadic pack, never settling in one place for too long before moving on, and given what had eventually happened to his pack, he now understood why.

But Shiro was the king of their kind and travelled a lot to meet with each of his sub-packs, often taking Keith with him. He had one fixed abode that only he, and now Adam, knew about and though he considered Keith a brother, private nests were never shared with anyone but mates.

So Keith spent a lot of time bouncing between pack member’s houses, mostly he stayed with Kolivan, (since the guy had saved his life as a pup, younger Keith had maybe, possibly, imprinted on him at the time) but he also liked Thace’s hut and Ulaz was cool.

He looked over to the space that Lance occupied and smiled softly. Could this become his first nest? Could he make it one for him and Lance? He’d never thought about having one before, never dared to dream that he could, but like most things since meeting Lance the idea of planting some roots was becoming an overwhelmingly nice idea.

Shiro hadn’t said as much, and Keith had been trying to ignore the implications, but Shiro had been hinting strongly that Havana, though packed with immortals, was severely lacking in werewolf presence. Not surprising considering they preferred cooler climates.

But when Shiro had not so subtly brought up Keith’s friends in Havana, in that overly casual manner he couldn’t pull off for shit, with comments like _‘wouldn’t it be nice to see them more often?_ ’ Keith was beginning to suspect that Shiro had plans.

Plans that involved leaving Keith in Havana to be the presence he thought Havana was lacking. Keith hadn’t missed the way that Shiro had been really invested in Keith’s opinion on everything, about Havana, about the houses they had visited before Allura had made her suggestion, and even, much to Keith’s horror and embarrassment, about the plethora of good looking guys in the area.

He’d punched Shiro in the gut for that (although he hadn’t been wrong) but to see Shiro waggling his brows as he gestured obviously to a tall, broad and sun-kissed guy that had been walking towards them, was enough to almost contemplate sending Shiro back to the vampires with a neat little bow around his neck… almost. 

And before meeting Lance, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t considered living near Pidge and Hunk, they’d mentioned it a time or two, or a hundred, but the truth was Havana scared him. And not because it was far away from where he’d grown up, Keith had never had a place to feel homesick for so leaving the pack wasn’t the problem.

What really scared him about this place was how much he never wanted to leave every time he visited.

Younger Keith had been terrified by the yearning pull in his chest whenever he left Havana, settling down was such an alien idea back then and sometimes it still was now, but knowing what he does now, he wonders if that pull might have had something to do with the fact that his mate had been here all along.

Had he been ignoring the lonely call of his mate all this time?

His eyes slid closed and he hummed warmly when a gentle pressure slid across his cheek to brush back some of his hair, he tilted his head to prolong the contact. Fond amusement made him open his eyes and he narrowed them playfully at Lance.

‘You’re laughing at me.’ He accused lightly, his hands twitched at his sides, wanting so badly to pull Lance in by his hips to press their bodies together. Would Lance go along with that? They’d only just met, and it seemed to go from naught to a hundred in the span of a day, but that was the norm for a werewolf, time was irrelevant when it came to mates.

But for wolves that had mates outside of their kind, it was different, non wolves needed time, even if they felt the pull, it wasn’t as easy for them to just fall into being someone’s mate.

Right now though, with Lance’s scent wrapped around him like a warm blanket, mere inches between them, he was confident that if he were able to pull Lance in, that Lance would come willingly.

He closed his eyes again and took a deep breath to wash away the disappointment, he let it pour out with a long exhale and when he opened his eyes again, it was with the self-reminder that he was fortunate to have Lance at all. He should cherish what they had now instead of wasting time hoping for something else because unless Allura changed her tune and decided to enlighten him or Keith figured it out himself, then this was all they would ever have.

He shook his head and smiled.

‘You tidied.’ Keith acknowledged. ‘You did a great job, Lance, thanks, it’s really changed the atmosphere of the place.’

Lance’s scent turned sweet with pleasure at the praise and Keith was sure to tuck that little nugget of information away for later, for now though he took a reluctant step back and gestured towards the door of the room that Lance had been showing him.

‘Want to show me more?’ 

Coolness wrapped around Keith’s hand and dragged him from the room, he chuckled at Lance’s buoyant emotions and followed dutifully.

Whilst they checked out the rooms Keith made a mental note of what rooms needed the most work done. All the carpets would have to be replaced, walls redecorated after he dealt with the damp, floorboards would need replacing as well. Fortunately, the bathrooms and the kitchen must have been modernized by previous tenants, but Keith figured they could do with another refurbish, no amount of bleach was going to clean away all the rust, lime scale and molding sealant.

It was a lot of work but – he flicked his gaze towards Lance and smiled – it would be worth it.

There was one place that Lance hadn’t thought to show him that Keith was curious about. He looked up at the attic door in the ceiling halfway down the hallway. The attic was were Lance had emerged from when Keith had gone to find him, and Lance’s scent was strong up there meaning he spent a lot of time in there.

‘What’s up there?’ Keith asked, pointing up. Lance’s scent turned nervous and for a moment Keith thought he might be denied but then with a resigned twinge across his nose the door clicked open and a ladder unfolded, meeting the floor at Keith’s feet.

‘Can I?’ He asked softly. ‘I wouldn’t be offended if you wanted to keep the space to yourself.’ Lance gave him a little push and with a small chuckle he started to climb.

It was a large space, and incredibly dusty. When his head emerged through the opening and he clutched the sides to pull himself up, dust flew up into his face making him cough, he waved it away.

He stopped and stared though when the floating dust stopped dead and hung in the air unmoving, he watched it with a frown before he realized what was happening.

The dust flew past his head, and he watched in bewilderment as more dust flew up from all the surfaces to join up in the middle of the attic space where it swirled around what he could only assume was Lance. He settled on the edge of the opening, letting his legs dangle freely while he watched his mate’s display of power, absolutely fascinated, and completely enraptured by that stormy scent that Lance released whenever he used his powers.

His eyes flicked to the small round window that opened by itself and then watched the dust funnel straight through it until not a single speck remained. Keith immediately turned his attention back to Lance.

‘Now that’s how you dust.’ Keith said, tone impressed. He smiled indulgently when he scented Lance’s bashfulness, adding another scent to his mental file of favorite scents, it had been filling up quite fast the last couple of days.

He got to his feet and very carefully made his way towards Lance, he had plans to tease out more of that scent but stopped short when he spotted a pile of old furniture piled over in the corner.

With a curious little frown, he moved closer to inspect it. A lot of it was water damaged, no doubt there were a few broken roof tiles that needed mending, but it wasn’t unsalvageable. Lance’s scent had grown apprehensive as he looked it all over, a dresser, a bed side table with a few trinkets still in the drawer, a vanity table with a broken mirror, which must have been broken here, because shards of glass, small and large, were littered across the surface and the floor. There was also what once must have been a plush armchair and off to the side, a chaise lounge. As well as a few sealed boxes.

‘What is all this?’ Keith asked aloud. That was when he spotted an open journal, he moved aside a jagged shard of glass and managed to read a few lines before the pages began to frantically whip past until the cover finally slammed closed. He looked at it for a moment before looking over his shoulder with a small smirk.

‘Did I just find your diary?’ Embarrassment, followed by indignation made Keith perk up because shit, that was Lance’s diary. A book his mate had taken time to write in when he’d been alive and probably had a lot of personal thoughts and information that no one knew about Lance.

He really wanted to read it.

But he also didn’t want to overstep. All this was new territory for them, and he wasn’t sure what would make Lance distrust him. He was fairly sure though that reading Lance’s diary when Lance clearly didn’t want him to would be a breach of that trust.

His grin faded though when he noticed that Lance was on the wrong side of distressed. He started forwards but stopped when a plank bowed dangerously under his foot, he redistributed his weight before edging closer towards Lance, with his hands up as if he were approaching a spooked creature.

‘What’s wrong?’ Keith asked on a whisper. ‘I won’t read your diary if that’s what you’re worried about.’ He promised. There were so many unnamed emotions swirling around him and Keith had no idea how to even begin deciphering them.

Helplessly he looked over his shoulder at the pile of furniture and then back to Lance, scared that if Lance continued to act this way he would disappear again, he couldn’t let that happen again.

‘Lance, I need you to focus on me, can you do that?’ Keith stepped as close as he dared and waited patiently for Lance’s tumultuous scent to settle, it was still laced with frustration, but Keith could pick up that the frustration was at himself not at Keith. ‘Hey.’ Keith smiled softly. ‘I don’t know where your head took you but right now, you’re here, with me.’

Slowly the cocktail of negative emotions began to fade into something affectionate and Keith sighed when he felt a touch to his face, he smiled.

‘You like touching my face.’ He observed and lent into the pressure to let Lance know he had no problem with that. As much as Keith hated ruining these moments, he felt this was one of those things they needed to talk about. With a sigh, he let his smile slip from his face and leant back.

‘I have an idea, sort of, on how we can communicate.’ Lance perked up eagerly. ‘If I ask questions that have a yes and no answer you can tap me, one for no, two for yes.’ Amusement from Lance had Keith bristling slightly. ‘It’s the best I can come up with right now.’ He snapped lightly; his head was still muddled from the battering of Lance’s stormy emotions.

Lance grabbed his hand, and it went up as if pulled by an invisible string until it hovered awkwardly between them. And then he felt two firm taps on the back of his hand and he smiled with a soft exhale.

‘Okay.’ He said, relieved. ‘Good… although now is probably a good time to remind you I’m not good at… this but, for you, I’ll talk as much as you need me to.’ He felt his face heat up, especially when Lance’s scent went thick with affection. He cleared his throat to regain his composure because honestly, he was supposed to be a fearsome werewolf and he was acting like a pup right now. ‘I think we need to establish a system or something, so that I can avoid triggering you or…’ He sighed. ‘I don’t want to hurt you anymore then you’ve already been hurt.’

Buffeted by a surge of frantic energy that took him a moment to untangle, he smiled in understanding.

‘Ok, it wasn’t my fault but that doesn’t mean I won’t unintentionally say something next time, I’d like to avoid it if I can… it’s the only way I can protect you as we are.’ He admitted, sadly.

He yelped when he was suddenly jerked forwards and strong arms wrapped around him while huge buckets of affection poured over him, he laughed, the sensation tickled his senses and his nose twitched… it was nice.

He stayed rooted to the spot, basking in the cool pressure of Lance pressed against him and the warm fuzzy feelings that made him feel full to the brim.

‘All the furniture,’ He started to ask before his head grew too foggy (he could feel Lance nuzzling into his neck, the tip of his nose brushing against a sensitive part of his throat which apparently was a thing Keith liked… a lot. He couldn’t be blamed for his reaction; pre-moon Keith had a lot of spots that Lance was hitting right now.) ‘i-is it yours?’

His breath stuttered when he felt the lightest brush of lips, kissing gently over the sensitive spot just under his ear. He shuddered and amusement wafted past his nose, he might have been annoyed if that amusement hadn’t been so muddled up with sweet heady desire.

He found himself pouting as he untangled himself reluctantly from the ghost. Lance was killing him, no one had any right to smell as good as he did and now Keith was wound up and horny.

‘Why do I feel like you’re trying to distract me.’ He asked, side-eying the ghost who was back to being jovial, but now his scent was laced with lingering attraction. ‘Not that I’m complaining.’ He added with a coy smile, he took a step past Lance and chuckled into his hand when he picked up Lance’s flustered scent.

He hadn’t missed that Lance hadn’t answered the question but he figured they had time to talk about it later, for now Keith would do what he could to keep Lance happy.

Once he was back in the landing he made a surprised sound when arms suddenly wrapped around his middle, and a body pressed right up against his back, he threw and amused look over his shoulder before heading back down stairs with Lance floating along against his back.

This was nice, really, really, nice.

Maybe the others were right, and he was a little bit of cuddle whore. But to be fair, Keith had never allowed himself to indulge in this before, no one had made him want to drop down his walls long enough to let them in and this felt natural, to have Lance wrapped around him so intimately, so softly.

Others had to earn the right to get past his walls but as his mate, Lance was born to just walk right through them, to see and touch parts of Keith no one had ever seen before.

His only hope, the only hope he allowed himself, was that one day he could earn his way through Lance’s walls.

They had eventually settled under an open window in the greeting room, Keith had his phone held out between them, scrolling through absently, waiting for the tap on his arms that would tell him to stop.

Decorating wasn’t Keith’s strong suit and when he’d mentioned this to Lance, he had lit up like a beacon, his scent bouncing around eagerly, so he’d presented his phone with an open browser for Lance to start shopping. Only Lance had taken the phone hesitantly, letting it dangle upside down between them.

It then occurred to Keith that Lance had probably died before mobile phones even became a thing, he took it back with an apology and mentally berating himself for being so insensitive before giving him a quick run down on how to use a smartphone.

It was all for nothing though when it turned that touchscreens didn’t work for ghostly fingers.

And that was how they’d ended up pressed together, Keith dutifully swiping and pressing whenever Lance signaled.

He wasn’t complaining though. He smiled warmly at Lance’s excitement as he picked out paint colours, wall papers, carpets and flooring, he was overwhelmed by the choices of bathroom sets and Kitchens. He made sure to bookmark everything that Lance had liked so that he could order it all later.

The phone rang whilst they were browsing through a Kitschy store on Etsy that Lance was absolutely gushing over, startling Lance and with an apologetic smile he swiped the green answer symbol.

‘Yeah.’

‘Oh!... Hola, estoy hablando con Keith Kogane?’ The person on the other side stammered, obviously thrown by Keith’s blunt tone.

‘Yeah.’

‘…Okay, this is the delivery driver,’ The man on the other side clumsily switched to English, ‘about the delivery of the bed that you ordered, I just wanted to check that the address is correct. It’s just that um… that house has been abandoned for a while and-‘

‘It’s correct.’

‘Well then, I guess I’m here with your package then.’

‘I won’t be long.’ He hung up and turned to Lance with a small smile. ‘I’ll be right back okay.’ Lance followed him curiously until Keith reached the threshold, Lance didn’t follow through though and Keith looked back over his shoulder to make sure he was still there as irrational as it seemed, but after spending the whole day with Lance he was reluctant to be separated from him, even if it was only for a moment.

He jogged towards the gate and eyed it warily as he approached, knowing that just on other side of it grasping wraiths were clamoring to get through, he shook off the paranoia and looked through to the man standing by a delivery van. The guy looked up from his phone and then did a double take, eyes wide before swiping his hat off and brushing a hand through his sun-bleached locks.

Keith considered the guy to be good looking but that meant nothing now that he had found his mate so he ignored the guys obvious thoughts and unlocked the gate.

‘Hello!’ The guys greeted. ‘I was surprised to find that someone was living in this house after so long.’

‘Yeah.’ Was all Keith offered.

‘Un Segundo, let me get your package.’ The guy half jogged to the back of his truck and flung the shutter up, he hopped in and Keith stood awkwardly to the side as he listened to the man grunt with effort.

‘Do you need a hand with that?’ Keith offered.

‘No, my friend, I’ve got this, I deliver a lot of big things, so I have built up a lot of… uh … muscles in my arms.’ He punctuated this by flexing an arm at Keith. Keith nodded slowly and smiled politely. It would be a lot quicker if Keith just hoisted the thing up himself, he looked back to the house anxiously and contemplated exposing his strength to a mortal just to hurry this up.

The guy was red in the face and huffing by the time he got it to Keith.

‘I could probably take it from here.’ Keith said but apparently delivery boy couldn’t take a hint.

‘No, no, it is my job, Mr Kogane, allow me.’ Keith wondered if the guy was about to haul this all the way just to “impress” him but sighed in relief when the guy jumped back into the truck and pulled out a set of wheels. Thank fuck.

He flashed Keith a charming smile after the bed was loaded and with a strained smile in return he turned to the house and allowed the man to follow him through.

‘So, you bought the old place huh? Not to spook you but I heard a dude was murdered here, some son of a wealthy family.’ Keith grit his teeth. ‘But you’re probably not the type to be bothered by all that.’ Keith didn’t bother answering him, but that didn’t deter the guy. ‘Big house for one guy though, you here with a wife… a husband?’ Keith rolled his eyes.

‘Neither.’ He grunted.

‘Oh! That’s cool… very cool.’

‘Hmm.’

He looked up at the open door and smiled up at the waiting ghost, inhaling as much of his scent in to mask the guy’s cloying attraction.

Once the box was inside, Keith was all too ready for the delivery guy to leave, the man was completely unsubtle, and he was conscious of Lance’s growing annoyance. He tipped him, because Shiro would be disappointed in him if he didn’t, and walked him towards the door.

‘I was thinking,’ the guy started up before Keith could get him out the door. ‘if you’re new here, I could show you around, give you a good time, you know, perhaps I could deliver a different kind of package.’ He winked.

Keith couldn’t stop the appalled look even if he tried, and the guy looked entirely unashamed for the really bad come on.

Lance’s annoyance had grown to something stronger, more pointed and Keith’s eyebrows shot up when he scented jealousy and an undertone of appalled that matched Keith’s. There was barely any warning before a gust of wind howled through the hallway to slam into the delivery guy.

The guys fear was dominant now and Keith watched in bewilderment as the man was thrown right out of the door with a scream which was cut off when the front door slammed shut with an ominous rattle.

He slowly looked from the door to Lance.

…

That was hot.

Lance was mortified, and angry, but mostly mortified.

Jealousy like he’d never known prickled in every ghostly cell of his being, and it had hummed into power that crackled all around him.

To be fair, he hadn’t meant to throw the man so viciously but when he’d been forced to watch that cheesy delivery man flirt with Keith so sleazily, ignoring the fact that Keith looked so blatantly uncomfortable, he could barely contain the power. And what was supposed to have been an intimidating gush of wind, with just enough power behind it to scare him, had turned into a gale so strong the man had been lifted clean off his feet and sent flying.

It shouldn’t surprise him that others found Keith attractive, anyone with eyes could see that Keith was a snack.

But that douche had squandered a chance that Lance would have killed for and it infuriated Lance to no end. Lance wouldn’t have wasted an opportunity with someone like Keith, it was obvious that he was something special, someone that deserved better than an awful pick up line.

He was also someone that deserved better than Lance. Someone that was warm, and soft and… alive.

Maybe this guy had failed to woo Keith but what would happen when someone did come along that Keith could be with? All those fond looks and gentle smiles that he’d been gracing Lance with would belong to someone else, and Lance would be forgotten… again.

It hurt. It hurt in places that Lance had thought could never hurt again, but there it was, a tightness in his chest where his heart should be. He pressed his hand to the center of his chest in confusion.

Lance didn’t remember much of his time before his death, he was sure that he wasn’t a possessive person by nature, but the thought of Keith looking at someone else the way he had been looking at Lance filled him with burning jealousy.

He was dead. And they’d only known each other a couple of days. He had no right to Keith, he had no right to feel this possessive or jealous or… He had no right.

Keith might look at him with those molten eyes, that spoke of a deep, unwarranted, affection and dare he say it, desire, but in the long run, Lance wouldn’t be able to make Keith happy. Eventually Keith would yearn for physical affection, and no matter how much Lance wanted it to… they just couldn’t.

What would Lance do when the time finally came that Keith brought someone else home, it wasn’t as if Lance could leave. Would he be forced to watch as Keith fell in love, forced to watch the moment that Keith would forget him for good? 

An abrupt snort made him look away from the door with a frown towards Keith. He had a hand pressed over his mouth and his shoulders were shaking and it took Lance a moment to realise that Keith was laughing.

Lance hovered uncertainly, watching Keith lose his shit. What was so funny? Lance wasn’t feeling funny right now. He had kind of expected Keith to be annoyed.

Keith removed his hand from his face and waved it at Lance for patience as he tried to compose himself, but another bubble of laughter escaped him and he was laughing openly now and Lance was…

Ok. Wow.

He drifted closer, as if he couldn’t help himself, but he needed to get a closer look. There was a flush spreading across Keith cheeks, his lips were spread wide, exposing white teeth and offering a teasing glimpse of large canines, his nose was scrunched up cutely and creases stretched out from the corners of his eyes were they were squeezed closed.

And his throaty laugh was sending a lot of pleasant feelings straight to the heart of him.

‘I’m sorry.’ Keith managed between giggles. ‘But did you see his face? I’m fairly sure he might have pissed himself.’ Keith swiped a tear away from the corner of his eyes as he turned his hundred-watt smile on Lance. Lance drifted closer, pulled in by an invisible cord. ‘Thanks, Shiro’s always telling me I’m not allowed to punch mortals considering I could literally kill them with a single flick.’ Another little giggle and Lance was pulled in further. ‘You really saved me having to explain to Shiro why I had a dead mortal on my hands.’

With a wide grin, his gaze turned coquettish and Lance swore his heart would have stalled if he had one. That look, right there, should be classified as illegal, it was damn right lethal.

‘I’m not going to lie, feeling your power was kind of – oh.’

Lance gripped Keith’s face between his two hands and leant in. Concentrating hard to keep himself corporeal enough, he pressed his lips against Keith’s, stunning the man to silence.

He lingered, soaking in the warmth against his frozen lips, wishing on every fucking star in the galaxy that he could feel the softness of Keith lips sliding against his. Of course, he couldn’t but that didn’t take away from the reality that Lance was kissing Keith. How else was he supposed to handle a flushed and punch-happy Keith?

He pulled away gently, opening his eyes slowly to look at Keith. Keith, who was staring at Lance with wide eyes and parted lips.

‘Did you… was that a kiss?’ Keith asked, sounding breathless. With his hands still on Keith’s face he used his thumb to gently tap twice on his cheek. Something like wonder settled on Keith’s face, his eyes glinting violet under the molten silver. ‘Again.’ Keith choked out, his blush deepening. ‘Can you do it again.’

Lance wasn’t sure if he could, he’d practiced endlessly to keep his hands corporeal so that he could touch things, and now switching was effortless but it wasn’t as if he had spent a lot of time kissing anyone in his death, he never thought he would again so he hadn’t bothered practicing with the rest of his body, it took a great deal of effort and concentration to maintain it and kissing Keith was very distracting.

But Lance was a weak man and Keith’s mouth looked so inviting.

He was sure he could go on for a little bit longer.

So, with little preamble he leant in again, pressing in firmly, Keith shuddered under his hands and the little groan that escaped him reverberated straight through Lance.

Keith’s lips moved, slowly, to slide with Lance’s and then… Lance was stumbling forwards with a sharp cry, his eyes shooting open as he fell right through Keith. Keith shivered violently as Lance’s entire body passed straight through him, he spun on his heel with a panicked expression, eyes darting all over the place.

‘Lance! What happened?’ He asked hurriedly, Lance turned slowly, pouting up at Keith from his place near the floor, embarrassed. He’d let his concentration slip because he’d been so damn surprised to feel Keith’s lips moving against his. He knew enough about himself to know he was no blushing virgin so why had Keith returning his kiss flustered him so much?

Keith’s worry gave way to understanding and he smiled knowingly down at Lance which only embarrassed Lance more. He tucked his legs against body and hid his face in his knees. With a soft chuckle, Keith knelt next to Lance and held out a hand, and though Lance was still pouting there was no way that he would pass up an opportunity to touch Keith.

He slid his hand into Keith’s.

‘It’s ok Lance, it kind of overwhelmed me too.’ Keith admitted with a shy smile. ‘It was more than I had hoped for so, thank you for indulging me.’

There was no way that Lance could give this up, give Keith up for anything or anyone, even if it was selfish of him, even if this eventually ended in heartbreak. He didn’t think there was a force in the universe strong enough to pull him away from Keith now, so he would keep Keith for as long as Keith wanted him and then when Keith eventually moved on… Lance would still be here, nurturing his memories for as long as he had them.

For now though, he turned to Keith and smiled, he would make the most of the time they had together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! 
> 
> And as always, stay safe! :) X


	8. Chapter Seven - And The Award For The Most Deaths Goes To...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And Lance dies... again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, this chapter gave me a hard time. Please enjoy the fruits of my labour, I hope it's alright and I hope you're all alright 
> 
> I should have added this before, but this chapter briefly mentions topics such as depression and anxiety and suicide, it didn't occur to me at the time, though it should have, that I should put a warning in. This story is a work of fiction but mental health isn't, please take care :) x

The last five days were some of the best that Lance could remember having, Keith had been a near constant presence, one that Lance didn’t think he’d ever get tired of.

The time after their kiss had been kind of a blissful dream, often absentmindedly running his fingers over his lips, imagining over and over what Keith’s lips must feel like, the phantom fluttering in his chest where his heart was supposed to be was strange but most assuredly not unwelcome.

Keith was making him feel warm not only on the outside but on the inside as well.

Looking flustered and very dazed, Keith had distracted himself with picking up the large box containing his bed as if it weighed nothing and carrying it upstairs. Lance had trailed along with him with a wide dopey smile as he observed the pretty flush on Keith’s cheeks.

He’d been equally surprised and pleased when Keith set up his new bed in the Blue room, maybe Keith felt the same way Lance did about this room, and Keith must have sensed his surprise somehow because with eyes diverted and that flush still high on his cheeks he said ‘Aside from the attic, this room smells the most like you.’ 

Lance very nearly floated straight through the ceiling from how buoyant that confession made him feel.

The following days were filled with activity, the most the house had ever seen in an awfully long time. Shiro, Pidge and Hunk were in and out, helping with the refurbishment of the manor. Carpets were ripped up and discarded, broken and molding floorboards were replaced (and if Lance had ever doubted that Keith was a werewolf, he certainly wasn’t doubting it now, he had watched raptly as he ripped up floor boards with his bare hands and told himself that that was the only reason he was staring and had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Keith was topless and ripped), and the walls were stripped, cleaned and repainted.

Though Lance did almost have a conniption when Keith scaled up the side of the building, sans ladder, with a utility belt full of nails and hammer between his teeth, after announcing he was going to repair the roof. Half terrified out of his wits, watching from a second story window, that Keith was going to go tumbling to his death at any moment.

He tried to find comfort in the fact that Pidge seemed completely unconcerned from her spot on the ground, sitting on a stump with her laptop, fingers tapping away furiously, stopping only to levitate whatever materials Keith called out for.

Lance cried out in alarm when Keith leapt from the roof to land solidly on the ground, landing on his feet and looking wholly unruffled, as if he’d done nothing more then take a step off a curb.

Idiot werewolf.

After being angry for exactly two minutes he peppered ghostly kisses all over Keith’s face, relishing every snort and giggle that escaped from Keith. And when Keith had had to get back to work, Lance had wrapped his arms and legs around Keith, clinging to his back. Keith hadn’t complained, instead he worked with a little smile on his face and hummed under his breath loud enough that only Lance could hear. 

And although all this activity had been nice, Lance’s favourite part of the day had to be when everyone went home.

Lance would sit on the newly fitted Kitchen island and watch Keith make himself dinner. The fridge was filled to the brim with different types of meat that Hunk restocked daily, all pre-prepared and marinating in bloody looking sauces.

The first night after the kitchen had been refitted, Keith had pulled out a handful of ziplock bags, not seeming to care what he pulled out, before awkwardly pausing to look in Lance’s vague direction (Lance had noted with glee that Keith was getting better at meeting his eyes rather than staring at his chest, the top of his head or his right ear, and only ever the right for some reason) and asked if Lance needed anything.

Lance’s amusement was enough of an answer and Keith turned away with a flushed face to turned on the oven.

He’d slapped the meat down, and the sizzling oil spat everywhere, but Keith seemed unperturbed by it, not even flinching when oil landed on his bare arms. Lance understood by now that Immortals were crazy strong, and that it took a lot to kill or even maim them but he didn’t think he’d ever stop being worried every time Keith did something reckless, like climbing up tall structures without a ladder and then jumping from the roof of said structure, or scalding himself with oil because he was careless.

With a sigh, Lance had pulled the now cool globs of oil off of Keith’s arms and flung it towards the sink, earning him a surprised look, immediately followed by a sweet thankful smile.

Keith had cooked the slabs of meat on both sides for a few scant seconds, just enough so that the meat browned lightly, before, much to Lance’s morbid fascination, eating it straight from the pan. The meat was still bloody and Keith was gnawing into it with an almost animal-like aggression, whilst another steak cooked.

It was honestly kind of gross watching Keith eat, but maybe because Lance was horribly smitten or because it was Keith, Lance found himself being kind of endeared. So, with his legs crossed, an elbow resting on his knee and his chin in his hand, he watched Keith wolf down several pounds of meat before swallowing it down with an entire bottle of beer.

Afterwards though Keith would be embarrassed and haltingly explained that during the week leading up to a full moon Keith’s appetite increased a lot.

And over the next few days Lance began to understand why.

When Lance chose to stand rather then float around, he and Keith were about the same height, give or take, but over the last few days since living together Keith had shot up to the point that Lance had to hover a few inches off the floor to be eye level with him and of course where he’d grown taller he’d also grown broader.

Lance couldn’t say that he was complaining though, because it meant that Keith spent a lot of the time shirtless. Apparently, he didn’t care to own a separate wardrobe to accommodate his growth spurts when he’d only end up reverting back to his original size after the full moon.

Again, Lance was not complaining, but currently he was quite grateful that he was ghost, so that when he caught himself ogling Keith, Lance would simply drift through walls rather than walk into them.

Also, he could ogle shamelessly, and no one would ever know.

The other favourite part of his day was when they went to bed.

He liked watching Keith getting ready for bed, he liked to daydream that he was standing next to Keith, brushing his own teeth. He imagined himself placing an arm around Keith’s back to rest his hand on Keith’s hip, pulling him softly into his side, Keith would smile at him from the corner of his eyes, Lance would do something stupid, like dribble tooth paste down his chin trying to smile back seductively and Keith would laugh at him and Lance would retaliate by pulling him in for a messy toothpaste kiss.

The longing he felt in chest was painful and when Keith looked at him through the mirror, he’d smile that bittersweet smile that made Lance feel that he might be wishing for the same thing.

And then they’d go to bed. On the first night, Lance had hovered by the door, wondering if he should leave Keith to rest but when Keith had climbed in and then patted the space next to him in invitation, whispering uncertainly into the night with eyes that shone in the moonlight that was streaming in through the open window, ‘Stay,’ Lance was helpless to resist.

He laid curled on his side facing Keith, and Keith had laid facing Lance, with a small smile playing on the edge of his lips, their hands had been on the bed between them, their little fingers a mere inch from touching. They hadn’t closed the distance, they hadn’t needed to, and Lance was sure that he had never felt as close to a person as he did in that moment.

Lance of course didn’t need to sleep, so he’d watched Keith drift off. He hadn’t moved an inch all through the night, content to just watch Keith and wonder how he’d manage to luck out even after death. How did someone as beautiful as Keith choose to stay for Lance?

Lance didn’t watch him sleep every night, that would border on creepy (no matter how much he wanted to) but once Keith had learnt that Lance didn’t need to sleep, he’d gone out and come home with a box full to the brim with books, so now he read while Keith slept, occasionally stopping to gaze at Keith, sometimes he’d indulgently stroke the back of his fingers over Keith’s cheek before going back to his reading.

Things were as domestic as they could be between a ghost and werewolf.

But in all the excitement, Lance had forgotten.

And when the time came, he was too late to warn Keith.

His hands went limp as his mind went foggy; he didn’t even hear the book he’d been reading fall to the floor. In a trance like state, Lance floated up from the bed and drifted downstairs, following the sound of the music and the laughter and the hum of chatter. The darkened hallways came to life and he passed a couple leaning against the wall, whispering and giggling like a pair of new lovers, the man ran a hand over the woman’s tipsy flushed cheeks before ducking down to kiss her.

Lance drifted past them towards the drawing room, light filtered out and Lance glanced at the line of vases filled with Blue roses with keen interest, they were just as beautiful as he imagined they would be, they had been hard to acquire but Lance was glad he’d made the effort.

In the drawing room, people were gathered, they were dancing, drinking, laughing and have a good time, bringing a smile to Lance’s face. His smile widened when he saw the Christmas decorations spread across the room, right, it was Noche Buenas, how could he forget. What had he even been doing in his room during a party anyway? With a small shrug, Lance swiped up a glass of Daquiri from a passing tray and drifted into the crowd.

He took a sip and looked around the room.

‘Hello Lance, long time no see?’

Lance turned and smiled, recognising the woman instantly, he would have to ask what her secret was because he sure she had aged a day since the last time he'd seen her.

‘Allura! Holy cow, what a surprise, how long has it been?’ She smiled thoughtfully her eyes going out of focus before returning to him. Lance didn’t question it, from what he remembered, Allura had always seemed like her head was in the clouds.

‘Too long it would seem, you’re all grown up now.’ She said, as if this was a surprise to her. He scratched the back of his head.

‘Well yeah, I was a kid the last time you visited, it’s been years since then.’ He reminded her.

‘Has it, I’m sorry, I keep losing track of the time.’ She said cheerfully, as if she were talking about hours rather than years.

‘It doesn’t matter you’re here now, I hope you’re enjoying the party.’

‘It’s a McClain party, it’d be hard not to.’ She smiled sweetly. ‘Besides, tonight is a very important night, Lance.’ Lance smiled at her blankly, his brows furrowing in confusion, but before Lance could question the cryptic tone in her voice, a shout at the door caught his attention. He apologized to Allura before leaving to investigate, not hearing the quiet apology she offered in return.

Time seemed to slow as Lance approached the door, the faces of the people all around him were beginning to blur and something like dread was beginning to build up in his chest.

_Don’t do this._ Said a voice in his head.

_I don’t have a choice._ Said another.

Mostly Lance was just confused, who had come to ruin his family’s Noche Buenas party?

Without him noticing the figures around him began to fade, the music and chatter dulled to a haunting echo and Lance found himself hovering in the middle of the entranceway.

He gasped, and looked down at his chest, silver glinted, and Lance sucked in a pained breath and when he looked up he was looking into the eyes of a crazed man. Everything else was gone, the music, the laughter, the light, and all that remained was him, dark hallway and James Griffin.

Oh.

He was frozen with pain and did nothing when James pulled the blade out and plunged it back in, he sobbed, staggering back but James followed him back with another sharp jab. The blade twisted and James faded into the shadows, leaving the dagger in Lance’s chest.

He stumbled back one more step before crumpling to the floor with a cry, no one was there to catch him this time even though the screams echoed in his memories. Blood was pooling around him and in a moment of clarity, he remembered and when he heard the hurried thumping of feet on the stairs he turned his head to look and caught sight of a panicked Keith, his figure shrouded by a spectral visage that Lance was too tired to make sense of. Keith jerked to a stop on the bottom step, looking at the ground where Lance lay, face stricken.

Lance smiled through the pain and was grateful that he at least got to see Keith before he died again.

It was much better then dying alone.

‘Keith.’ He choked out before he faded away.

Keith wasn’t unused to waking up alone, he’d been doing it for a long time after all, but sometime in the last five days or so he’d grown used to it, of waking up surrounded in Lance’s soothing scent, and sometimes with fingers stroking through his hair making him sluggish because of how relaxed he would be, but he’d always turn his face towards the scent and imagine he could see Lance sitting up in bed next to him reading.

What Keith wasn’t used to though was jerking awake to the sharp scent of Lance’s terror.

He threw himself out of bed, alert and ready to rip through whatever enemy was trying to hurt his mate. But the room was empty, Lance’s scent was slightly faded but the terror was still clouding his senses and Keith, mindless with panic, launched himself across the room.

The door frame splintered under his tight grip as he used it to make a sharp turn into the hallway, he bolted towards the stairs and took the steps two at a time only to stop dead when he reached the bottom.

In the middle of the hallway, tainted with concentrated fear, and an undertone of acceptance, was Lance. He couldn’t understand what he was scenting, his mate was in danger, but there was no enemy, at least none that Keith could fight.

‘Lance?’ He choked out. Eyes darting over every shadow, expecting to find something, anything.

But there was nothing.

And then Lance’s scent vanished completely.

He stumbled forward and dropped to his knees in front of a large deep brown stain that he could have sworn he’d removed already, he remembered very clearly removing the floorboards the moment he understood what the mark was, so what did it mean that it was staining the floor again?

He reached out blindly, hands scrambling over the floor, trying, failing, to feel for Lance. ‘Lance?’ He called out frantically and then again, and again… until his voice ran hoarse.

Where was he? Was he back in the void? Had the Wraith’s found a way in and taken Lance while he had slept on unaware upstairs? Had Keith failed his mate already?

_Where is he?_ Growled the voice in his head, his wolf was pacing, agitated and distressed. _Where is he! Where is he where is he where is,_ Keith grit his teeth, his breath coming in short bursts, _hewhereishewhereishe –_

‘I DON’T KNOW!’ He screamed, punching the floor in rage, and because it had felt good he did it again and again until the punching became clawing, and he began frantically shredding the blood stained wood with his claws.

He paused, digging his claws out of the wood to look at his hands, his bestial form was layered over his human one, a spectral visage of violet and shifting tones of blue that illuminated his immediate area.

No… no… not now, he thought desperately, please tell me I haven’t lost track of the moon’s phase. 

He staggered to his feet and made his way to the front doors, he shoved them open, the lock snapping and fracturing the wood around it but he didn’t care because high in the sky, looming over him was the full moon.

But there was nothing gratifying about it this time, the call to the run, to be wild washed over him like always but instead of answering her call with a howl of joyous freedom, Keith snarled, his bright violet eyes flashing dangerously.

‘GIVE HIM BACK TO ME!’ He howled at the moon. And of course, there was no answer and Lance didn’t miraculously reappear before him. He stared the moon down before scoffing, and for the first time since seeing the full moon for the first time Keith turned his back on it and squashed the urge to run. He headed back into the empty house and slammed his door closed behind him.

He dropped back down to the floor and stared despondently at the deep groves he’d made in the wood, feeling all kinds of lost, he half-heartedly started pawing at the floor again, his wolf whining in his mind or maybe it was Keith that was whining. Or both, since right now he and his wolf were one and the same.

Shiro was the one to find him the next morning.

At some point the moon had loosened it’s hold on him and the bestial form had sunk back into his skin, but Keith couldn’t bring himself to stop clawing at the floor, eyes vacant and lost, staring at what remained of the wooden planks that were now stained with fresh blood. His claws were gone now so his blunt fingertips were blooded and full of splinters, he was missing an entire fingernail, but everything was nothing compared to the roaring in his head and in his heart.

**_Lance_ ** _… MATE… where… **Lance** … is… **Lance** … our… **Lance** … Mate…_

‘Keith? What happened to the door… Oh shit!’

Keith’s head snapped up, head too foggy to interpret the new scent, all he knew was that someone was intruding in on his and Lance’s nest. He leapt to his feet and snarled threateningly, crouching in preparation to attack.

‘Keith what happened?’

Keith jumped but the intruder was ready and grabbed Keith from midair and tucked his face into his neck, he scrambled against the man, scratching uselessly but only managing to smear blood all over the pristine white shirt. He settled for sinking his teeth into the meat of the man’s shoulder, he didn’t even flinch, just continued to keep a steady hand on the back of Keith’s head and eventually the man’s scent began to invade his senses, inviting a moment of clarity.

Horrified with himself, he removed his teeth from Shiro’s shoulder.

‘Shiro?’ He croaked, his throat raw from screaming and howling throughout the night. The hand on the back of his head became less bruising and more comforting, he let his forehead fall against his brother’s shoulder as the fight drained out of him. ‘Lance… he’s gone.’ He finished with a broken sob.

‘What do you mean he’s gone? What happened last night?’

‘I don’t know, we were in bed but then I woke up and Lance was afraid but by the time I made it downstairs he was gone.’

‘Are you sure he’s gone?’

Keith growled, yanking himself free from Shiro’s hug to glare up at him. ‘Of course I’m fucking sure, do you think I would have been driven to this,’ he gestured the mess he’d made of the hallway, ‘if I wasn’t sure.’ He dug his fingers into his hair and pulled angrily. ‘Lance was in danger and I couldn’t save him. So, fucking useless.’

‘You are not useless.’ Shiro snapped, he took a deep breath and ran a hand over his tired face. Through all the white noise in Keith’s head he felt the niggling guilt. Last night was the full moon, if Keith who hadn’t even bonded to his mate yet was having this hard a time then what kind of pain must Shiro be enduring every full moon that Adam had been missing?

‘How do you manage it?’ Keith asked. ‘How do you stop yourself from going mad?’

Shiro seemed to chew something over in his head before his shoulders slumped and sighing deeply. He undid a few buttons of his shirt and reached in to pull out a necklace. Keith winced, backing away from it instinctually. He felt his wolf’s shudder. He looked up at Shiro in alarm.

‘You’ve been suppressing your wolf.’ Keith surmised. ‘Are you crazy? How long?’ He demanded.

‘I have to, otherwise I would have lost myself to the beast a long time ago. When Adam first went missing the beast couldn’t understand, no matter how much I trusted Adam, the wolf just couldn’t see anything other then the fact that Adam was gone.’ He tucked the amulet away, doing up his buttons. ‘I needed to keep a clear mind if I was going to find him so, I had the Wolfsbane Amulet commissioned.’

‘All this time,’ Keith breathed out in horror. ‘Do you realise how dangerous that is, what it can do your wolf.’

‘I know.’ Shiro barked. ‘I know.’ He repeated in a defeated tone. ‘I knew the risks, but at this point there is no way that I could remove this without losing myself, I have to find Adam, he’s the only one that can sooth the wolf now.’

‘The wolf is going to be pissed at you when you finally wake him up.’ Keith grumbled, after last night he thinks he can understand why Shiro turned to Wolfsbane, but still… he shuddered. His wolf may be an asshole sometimes, but he was certain there was no way he could subject it to Wolfsbane.

It was probably fortunate that he and Lance were unable to form a full bond, it hurt now, but if they had been fully bonded like Shiro and Adam were, the beast would have taken him last night and never given him back. It had been so sudden.

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to judge.’ Keith said, peering up at Shiro sadly. ‘I’m glad you didn’t just let yourself get taken over.’

‘And I’m sorry about whatever happened to Lance but maybe it’s not what it seems.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘There’s still so much we don’t know about Lance and his situation, last time he disappeared into the void, right? Well maybe it’s the same, and he’ll come back just like then.’

‘Maybe… but what if he doesn’t? What if he’s gone for good… you didn’t smell his terror last night Shiro, and I couldn’t help him.’ He fell back against the wall as he spoke and sunk down until he was sitting on the ground, he tucked his legs against his chest and wrapped his arms around them, his eyes going vacant again as he recalled last night. ‘The blood stain was back, the one I removed a few days ago, it was Lance’s blood, I’m sure of that now, that spot was where he died and it’s where he disappeared last night.’

Shiro knelt in front of Keith, his face twisted in sympathy and understanding, Shiro understood, of course he did, he understood the most.

‘Don’t give up on him Keith, Lance has stuck around for over fifty years, do you really think he wouldn’t find a way to come back now that he’s found you?’

‘He’s not a werewolf, he doesn’t have the same instinct to be with me as I do for him.’

‘No, but he has feelings. And he’s not been subtle with them either, he’s been projecting them all over the house when ever you’re nearby, he’s horribly smitten with you.’ It’s true, Keith thought sadly. Lance had always smelt so sweet around him, he had especially liked how much sweeter the scent grew whenever Keith strutted around topless. Lance wasn’t subtle at all.

And now he was gone.

Something cold settled in his chest and dropped his head to rest his forehead against his knees.

‘I don’t want him to be gone.’ He said in small sad voice. ‘I only just found him.’

‘Oh Keith.’ Shiro whispered sadly, he sat down next to Keith and pulled the younger into his side, running a hand over his head like he used to do when Keith was a pup. ‘We’ll give him a few days, it can’t be easy what Lance is going through, and if he still hasn’t returned by then we’ll talk to Allura, she wouldn’t have brought you two together if she felt it was going to end like this.’

He wondered about that. Allura’s visions were always jumbled, maybe she got it wrong, it was unheard of, but there was always a first time.

‘Ok.’ He found himself saying.

The next day wasn’t any better, Lance still hadn’t return – if he ever would – and Keith was angry. At himself for being so helpless and pathetic, at the magic under the house that was supposed to be protecting Lance, at Shiro, for hovering. Which was unfair, Shiro was trying to be there for him while he was dealing with his own losses.

Keith wasn’t taking care of himself, so someone had to.

Keith had taken himself to bed. Immediately curling up on what had become Lance’s side of the bed, he’d buried his face into Lance’s pillow and nothing. Every trace of Lance had disappeared along with him.

He wondered if Lance was scared, if someone as unflappable as Pidge could glimpse into the void and look as if she were on the verge of panic attack then what must it do to someone subjected to days within it.

He thought about what Pidge had said, about every time spent in the void was another memory erased. Would Lance even remember Keith if he came back? Or was it selfish to think that? Lance had already lost so much of himself; Keith should be more worried about Lance losing more of himself.

Shiro brought him meals that went untouched, Keith just wasn’t hungry, or he was but he didn’t have the energy to eat them.

He didn’t leave the bed the next day either, but he did leave it on the third day to curl up in the corner of the room instead.

When his door swung open, he mumbled go away into his arms, but apparently Pidge had a death wish because she continued in regardless, her scent strong and overbearing.

He lifted his head enough to glare at the witch. ‘I said, go away.’ He growled. Pidge scoffed and rolled her eyes, she sat on his bed and flipped the curtains open with a wave of her hand, light streamed in and Keith hissed, huddling further into his corner.

‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ Pidge said, not sounding sorry at all, ‘I didn’t realise you’d become a vampire since the last time we saw you.’

‘Fuck off.’ Keith mumbled. 

‘No, you fuck off, while you’ve been moping and being a useless sack of shit, I’ve been doing the one thing you should have done the moment you discovered your mate was a ghost… some fucking research!’ 

Keith leapt to his feet and hovered over Pidge his teeth bared threateningly, she looked up at him over her glasses, entirely unimpressed.

And Keith wanted to be so angry at her but it would have been misdirected, he was angry at himself and Pidge was the only one brave enough to call him out on his bullshit, so with a heavy sigh he backed down and eyed her with resignation. 

‘You can be such a bitch.’ He said with a soft growl. ‘But you’re right, Lance was in trouble and I was too useless to save him.’

‘Not what I meant, stop being obtuse. There is literally nothing you could’ve done to stop what happened to Lance from happening.’ She said with certainty.

Keith stopped walking back to his corner and looked at Pidge over his shoulder.

‘You know what happened to him?’

‘I have some idea, yeah.’ She said, looking down at her fingernails casually, Keith grit his teeth and scowled at her.

‘Care to share with the rest of the fucking class then, I’m not in the mood for games right now Pidge.’ He growled, folding his arms over his chest. Pidge, as usual, failed to read the atmosphere and rolled her eyes at him again. Keith was two seconds away from ripping them clean out of her head.

‘Say please at least.’ She mumbled. Oblivious to the fact that Keith was having to fight his wolf to stop himself from seriously maiming her.

‘My mate disappeared on the night of a full moon, and the last memory I have of him is the scent of his terror, so let me explain this in a way you might understand.’ Pidge sat up straight, finally cluing in on the danger she was in. ‘If someone were to abruptly rip you apart from your magic,’ Pidge eyes widened and she shuddered, Keith smiled grimly, ‘it still wouldn’t compare to the pain of losing a mate. I’ve seen perfectly good werewolves turn savage in their grief, seen them tear into their own chest with their own claws to crush their own heart. Of course, they just regrow another and they’re forced to relive their loss, repeating the process over and over before someone finally takes pity and puts the poor fool out of his misery.’

Pidge’s face had gone pale and she looked appropriately chastised, satisfied he settled back into his dark corner and met Pidge’s gaze impassively.

‘so, _please,_ would you share with the rest of the fucking class.’

Instead of answering him, she bit her lower lip and for moment Keith felt like he might have gone too far, guilt sneaking past all the anger. She slid off the bed onto the floor to crawl over to him, she stopped when she was kneeling on the floor in front of him.

‘I’m sorry. I haven’t slept in like a week, but that’s no excuse, I’m being a huge ass in your time of need.’ He sighed, he didn’t like being angry at Pidge, it always left a sour taste in his mouth whenever he caught a whiff of her sad scent, but he relaxed when the corner of her lips quirked up into meek smile meaning she wasn’t really upset at him. ‘I brought a present, I finished it last night after a lot of tinkering.’ She reached into her satchel and pulled out a small box. She presented it to him like an offering. A peace offering.

With a curious frown, he took it from her and flicked the lid open. Sitting on some padding was a hearing aid. He looked at it blankly for a moment before finally turning the look on Pidge. She sighed.

‘Remember? Allura asked me to make a trinket that could allow us to hear from the other side?’ Keith’s eyes widened and he looked down at the hearing aid in his hand in a new light. 

‘You did it?’ He breathed in awe.

‘I did… or at least I think I did, I’m like ninety-eight percent sure I did it. All week I’ve been wearing prototypes around Lance and I’ve been able to make out snippets of things he says but it’s not always been clear, but then I had a breakthrough last night. Obviously I couldn’t test it out but this is the finished product, I programmed it to accommodate your signature, I can make others now that I know which code to write my magic into, but I figured you should have the first one.’

Keith couldn’t tear his eyes away from the device, a way to remove one of the barriers between them.

Except that Lance was gone.

The hope in his chest deflated and his hand dropped to his lap, eyes downcast as Pidge frowned at him in confusion.

‘Thanks Pidge,’ He mumbled, running a thumb over the aid sadly. ‘I’m sure you worked really hard on this but it’s useless now because Lance is gone.’ She sighed, shook her head lightly before taking the box from him, she pulled out the aid and threw the box off to the side and then knelt up so she could attach it to his ear. He let her. She sat back with a determined gaze. 

‘Right, about that, so I’ve been doing a lot of research into ghosts and stuff since you told me about Lance, and unfortunately there isn’t much so, I went to Coran, since the Arch Fae is literally a walking encyclopedia, he didn’t have much on ghosts but he knew a fair bit about the Goddess Hel.’

‘Who?’

‘The Goddess of the dead, she rules over Niflheim and is also like your great Auntie or something.’

‘And how do you work that out?’

‘She’s Fenrir’s sister, you know, your great grand pappy.’ She added with a cheeky little smile. Keith rolled his eyes, they’d had this argument several hundred times, about how the lycanthropes had originated. The true history was that Fenrir, as revenge to the Gods that had sought to imprison him, offered the favoured warriors of those same Gods the gift of lycanthropy, in his version Fenrir bit the willing warriors deep enough to kill and watched over them until they were reborn as wolves disguised as men.

In Pidge’s version, Fenrir fucked his seed into willing female warriors and their children would become the first werewolves. Keith could point out a handful of flaws with that theory, but Pidge was sold on the idea and he’d stopped trying to argue the case.

‘Stop trying to alter my history and tell me what you know.’

‘Ok,ok… so, Hel presides over the afterlife where those that die from age, sickness or basically anyone that didn’t die in glorious battle go. It’s where Lance’s soul should have gone, if he had accepted his death but as we know, Lance didn’t. Now here’s what’s supposed to happen, when someone dies their soul travels to the gates of Niflheim, and in accepting their death, they will pass through into Hel’s domain, unless the soul was tainted by evil then they weren’t given a choice, her loyal hellhound would drag those souls down into Náströnd where they will endure eternal torment until eventually her pet dragon eats their soul.’

‘Sounds like a charming place.’ Keith said with a grimace.

‘Relax, Lance wouldn’t have ended up in that part of Niflheim. That place is reserved for the worst of the worst; murderers, rapists… politicians.’ Pidge assured him blithely.

‘Oh, well alright then.’

‘At the beginning when a soul rejected death, they were left to wonder unchecked until eventually they became Wraiths. It became a problem a while back, but there was nothing Hel could do, though she is considered one of the most powerful amongst the Gods, it only applies when she’s within the walls of Niflheim, outside of it, she’s powerless.

‘So, she devised a way to ensure that the souls could return to her even after rejecting death the first time, by making them relive their death.’

Is that what Lance had been going through? Had he been reliving his own death? Keith dropped his head back against the wall and stared up at the ceiling, trying to still the roiling anxiety in his gut as he imagined exactly what Lance must have been feeling before he “died” again.

‘How does that help exactly?’ Keith asked quietly, eyes glued to the ceiling.

‘It’s actually quite impressive, from a purely academic point of view, she basically found a loophole in the fabric of reality by ensuring that ghosts, an entity that is already dead, could defy all logic and reason, and technically die again, she’s tricking the soul into returning to the gate where they can remake their choice.’

‘For what reason?’ Keith growled, not impressed by this tactic at all. How many times has Lance had to die since the first? ‘Sounds to me like a form of torture for those that don’t deserve it.’

‘I don’t think it’s meant to be, Hel cares for those that enter her domain, but she can’t force them to pass on, if a ghost refuses she lets them go, it isn’t about entrapping them, it’s about saving them from a fate far worse. Wraiths are an uncontrolled blight and according to Coran some have become powerful enough that their malign energy has leaked through to our plane. Depression, anxiety, hopelessness, the range of negative emotion a mortal has to cope with are fuelled by the presence of a Wraith, it feeds from its target until the victim loses all hope and then they kill themselves. Keith, the people that are driven to that point, damn their own souls and get dragged into the void to be consumed by the Wraith that had been hunting them.

‘The point is that those that weren’t ready to move on no longer need to be punished for a completely understandable feeling, the re-die and this time they are ready, the move on and a Wraith is not born. I dread to think how many more Wraiths would exist if Hel hadn’t interfered. The trouble is that a soul that rejects death too many times will eventually begin to reject life too and then only one place exists for them, the void.’

‘How many times do you think Lance has rejected death?’ Keith asked reluctantly.

‘It’s been fifty years, I’m not sure you want to know how many times.’ Pidge offered in return equally as reluctant.

That’s what he thought. It hurt to think how many times Lance had returned from the gates of the afterlife to an empty house. How had he stopped himself from going mad all this time? In all the myriad of scents Lance gave off he’d never once picked up the acrid, burning stench of hatred. Anger, yes, Lance smelt like an ocean storm, because when Lance was angry, his power swelled, and Keith found that scent to be attractive rather than repelling.

‘But what I’m trying to get at Keith in a really roundabout way, is that Lance will come back.’

‘But… what if he chooses to pass on.’

‘For fifty years, that idiot has been rejecting death for an empty house, do you really think he’s going to willing move on now that he’s met you?’ Pidge snapped. ‘Because I have had to spend the last week watching him make goo goo eyes at you, he’s so horribly smitten it’s sickening, so don’t tell me he won’t come back for you.’

For the first time in three days Keith welcomed the stirrings of hope in his chest, and then…

‘She’s not wrong, no matter what takes me, I’ll always find a way to come back to you, porque estoy bastante seguro de que eres mi Alma gemala.’

Keith sucked in a sharp breath of surprise and in that same moment Lance’s heady scent washed over him a like a soothing balm that made all the pain, hopelessness, and fear vanish like smoke on the wind. His gaze darted frantically all over the room, eyes wide and searching, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly where Lance was. After three days of no Lance, his scent was suddenly overwhelming.

‘I’m right here, Cariño.’ The voice was like a whisper in his ear and he turned his gaze to follow the sound and his eyes fell closed involuntarily when he felt the familiar cold pressure of palms cupping his face. He couldn’t even bring himself to feel embarrassed by the wetness that gathered under his eyelids and clung to his lashes.

‘Lance…’ He whispered pleadingly. ‘Lance.’ He choked out a relieved laugh as his smile became so wide his cheeks began to hurt. ‘Lance!’

He heard Lance’s laughter, and he could barely contain the shiver, the smooth timbre of Lance’s voice was lovely to listen to, he was sure that he could spend hours listening to him talk, and maybe now that he could, Lance would. After fifty years Lance probably had a lot to say, and Keith would be here to listen to every word of it.

With a wet laugh, he opened his eyes to gaze up at Lance.

‘I can hear you, Lance.’ He announced excitedly, enjoying the taste of Lance’s surprise. ‘And I’ll always wait for you, no matter where you go, I’ll be here waiting for you, I promise, you’ll never have to be alone again.’ 

Lance was silent for a moment, his scent switching between sweet, warm affection and the tangy mixture of shock and confusion.

‘Wait… What do you mean you can hear me!’ Lance screeched and instead of clarifying, Keith just laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and please continue to stay safe wherever you are :) x


	9. Chapter Eight - A ghost and werewolf fall in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is doing ok!!  
> Thank you all for lthe lovely comments I've received for this fic, warms my heart to hear people enjoying me stuff 🥰  
> Phew, this was a lengthy one but I got there in the end.   
> We get some smut, some fluff, Keith finally tells Lance the truth, and some Adam and Shiro backstory.   
> Please enjoy :) x

How was it, that the moment Keith could finally hear him, Lance was coming up blank. It was the shock, it had to be, what other reason could there be for Lance to have nothing to say, Lance always had something to say.

Or maybe he was too entranced by the way that Keith laughed, a deep and raspy sound that Lance could listen to for hours, his shoulders were shaking as he hunched in on himself, his eyelashes damp with unshed tears.

Despite how tired Keith looked, he was probably, hands down, the most beautiful person Lance had ever met. It didn’t matter that Lance couldn’t remember anyone else, he was certain no one could ever eclipse Keith.

He reached forward and brushed a tear away from the corner of Keith’s eye with his thumb, it clung to him until he pulled away and it fell through him to soak into the carpet.

He wanted to tell Keith that he was beautiful, that he was so happy that Keith had come here, that he was hopelessly gone for him, that this was the best he’d felt in a long time, that… and maybe that was the problem, Lance had too much to say and just didn’t know where to start.

Start simple, he told himself, so with a smile he leant in and dropped his forehead against Keith’s. Keith’s little stuttered chuckles quietened with a sigh and he leant into the touch with eyes closed, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

‘Hi.’ Lance whispered, cramming as much feeling into the small word as he could. But it seemed that Keith understood, his smile widened to something giddy.

‘Hey.’ And they both dissolved into silly giggles.

‘By Odin’s left nut, you guys are so gay.’

They pulled apart and glanced at Pidge who was getting to her feet, she dusted her jeans off before grabbing her satchel and slinging it over her head. ‘If you guys are going to get mushy then I’m out.’

‘Pidge!’ Keith called out. She stopped before reaching the door and looked over her shoulder, she hummed in acknowledgement. ‘Thank you.’ He said earnestly, his eyes shining with sincerity. Pidge shifted, hiking up a slim shoulder in a bashful half shrug.

‘Dude,’ She scoffed, looking emotionally disgruntled by the Keith’s candour, but the corner of her mouth lilted up into a half smile. ‘Gross.’ She turned her face away, but she hesitated. ‘Anytime.’ She added hurriedly before storming out of the door. 

That was adorable, Lance thought, pleased and eternally grateful that Keith had someone like Pidge in his life, if anything for the fact she provided them with a way to talk. Lance went back to looking at Keith, who was silently laughing at Pidge’s emotional discomfort. His gaze traced over the way the bridge of his nose crinkled and the way his eyes had softened fondly, and over the little dimples that appeared at the corner of his upturned lips.

But he had to do a double take when he noticed the dark shadows under Keith’s eyes. His own smitten smile fading slowly as he took stock of Keith.

He was smaller since the last time that Lance had seen him (just how long had he been gone this time?) looking more like the Keith he had first met. His hair was unwashed and hanging limply around his shoulders, and when Lance glanced down, he locked on to the dried blood coating his fingertips, flaking and crusty.

He snatched up Keith’s hands to peer closer, scanning them for injuries, and Keith made a small sound of alarm before his face twisted into one of confusion, that was until he realised what Lance was looking at and tried to pull his hands away, shame colouring his face.

‘What happened?’ Lance asked, turning Keith’s hands over, there didn’t appear to be any wounds which begged the question of whose blood was it and why was it all over Keith’s hands? Keith averted his gaze, he drew his fingers in to form loose fists and when he tried to pull his hands back Lance tightened his grip.

It was a weak attempt; Lance knew how strong Keith was so if he really wanted Lance to let go he could’ve have easily ripped his hands away. Instead he sagged into himself, his face dropping so that his bangs concealed his eyes, which just would not do, a single moment not looking into Keith’s eyes was a moment wasted, as far as Lance was concerned. So he relinquished one of Keith’s hands to push his bangs back, he ran his hand over the top of Keith’s head, smoothing his hair back to trail it down and around until he was cupping Keith’s jaw. He tilted Keith’s face up.

‘What happened?’ He asked again, his tone softer.

‘You were gone.’ Keith eventually said, his misty eyes darting over the space where Lance was kneeling, before dropping to the hand that was still wrapped up in Lance’s. ‘You were scared and alone and I let you disappear… I had no idea if you were coming back.’ His brows drew in and Lance wanted to smooth the puckered skin in between with his thumb. ‘I failed you.’ He whispered, wrecked.

Lance’s memory of those nights were always a little fuzzy, like trying to recall a vivid dream a few days after having it, were you swore it had been so bright and detailed, it was now vague and unclear.

But he remembered slow soft music, the din of indistinguishable background chatter, even if all the faces around him were a blur, he remembered the thrum of fear as he headed towards the inevitable. He remembered the face looming out of the shadows, the glint of silver, the pain…

The trouble was, Lance was never sure if he was recalling his episode or if it was what he remembered from his first death. Or maybe it was both. Each reliving of his death was created from his memories of that night, drawn out from his deepest subconscious, and maybe that was why his murderer always took on such a demonic visage. Lance knew his murderer had been an angry man drunk on rage and alcohol but over time his head had twisted it to resemble something from a nightmare. He supposed it was, his very existence was something from a nightmare, except…

He looked up at Keith and the nightmarish memories evaporated, the cold emptiness he usually felt after an episode was absent and he smiled. He’d never had someone to come back to afterwards, and it was nice, well much more then nice but Lance didn’t think he had a name that could accurately convey the feeling coursing through him right now. 

‘Don’t be silly,’ He chided softly, ‘you didn’t fail me, I’m just sorry that I didn’t to warn you in time, I’ve just been so happy these last few days that it slipped my mind.’

‘Happy?’ Keith asked.

‘Yeah, like the happiest I’ve been in a long time, you’ve made me so happy, Keith.’ He frowned as he looked down at the dried blood on Keith’s hands. ‘How did this happen though?’ He asked for a third time.

‘You disappeared on the night of a full moon.’ Keith said as if that explained everything, but Lance just tilted his head in confusion, and Keith must have sensed it because he sighed. ‘I’m werewolf.’

‘Oh! _Oh…’_ He realised abruptly. Keith had explained some elements of what happened during a full moon but Lance had had so many question he’d been unable to ask, and given their inability to communicate efficiently, prior to whatever magic was enabling Keith to hear him now, Lance had been left with a lot of blank holes that he figured he would learn over time. ‘What happened?’ He asked apprehensively.

‘The beast took over almost immediately after you disappeared, we thought you were gone for good and I… we… uh… we pretty much destroyed the hallway.’ He admitted with averted eyes. ‘The spot where you disappeared was stained with your blood again and I lost it.’

‘Ok… well, uh, we’ll address that after we get you cleaned up, ok, and you definitely look like you could use a nap.’ Keith nodded along despondently, his eyes going hazy as if talking about what he’d gone through while Lance had been floating in the nothing, was sending him right back into that mind frame. He rushed to grip Keith’s face again, wishing with his entire soul that he could feel Keith’s skin against his, the warmth was nice, especially with how cold Lance always felt, but he’d die a hundred times more just to feel Keith properly. ‘I’m right here Keith, I’m not gone, I’ll always come back to you, I promise.’

‘You can’t promise that.’ Keith mumbled with a wobble in his voice.

‘Were you not listening to Pidge.’ Lance said leaning in to bump his forehead against Keith’s. ‘I’m horribly smitten with you Keith, from the moment I first saw you, as crazy as that sounds, and I know that none of this is conventional, what with me being… not alive, and you being a werewolf, but I want this, I want you… I want us. I want to be with you.’ Keith’s eyes had been widening throughout Lance’s confession, glistening wetly. He released a shuddering breath and his entire body went soft and pliant in Lance’s hands.

‘I want us too.’ Keith choked out. ‘You have no idea how much I want us.’

‘Then, we’ll find a way.’ Lance assured Keith, with bold confidence. ‘But how about we start by giving you a bath because you look terrible.’

‘Oh,’ Keith looked down at himself with a grimace. ‘I was in mourning.’ He explained awkwardly. 

Lance chuckled as he helped Keith to his feet and guided him gently through the house. Reaching the bathroom, Keith flicked the light on, the ventilation fan humming to life and Lance waved a hand to close the door behind them before flicking it again towards the bathtub to turn the taps on. The rush of water thrumming off the porcelain tub filled the air, the sound softening as the bottom filled with water.

He pulled a dazed looking Keith over to sink and the water sputtered from the faucet the moment Lance thought it.

‘Wash your hands, Cariño.’ He ordered softly and Keith obeyed him, scrubbing at his hands until every flake of blood was gone, and the water ran clear. ‘Good job.’ Lance praised. Keith’s eyes slipped closed and he sighed, as Lance noted the small shudder that passed over Keith.

Interesting.

With a small grin Lance moved in until he was wrapping his arms around Keith’s waist, resting his chin on Keith’s shoulder so that his mouth was level with his ear. ‘Do you like that, mi corazon?’ He whispered. ‘Hearing how good you’re being for me, doing as your told… like a good boy.’ He watched Keith’s reflection in the mirror with rapt attention, he observed as another shudder wracked Keith’s body, he smiled smugly when Keith had to grip the counter to steady himself.

‘It’s your voice.’ Keith explained, voice wrecked and barely above a whisper. ‘And your scent, I can smell how much you want me and it’s killing me.’ His eyes cracked open a sliver to look at his reflection, his gaze, somehow, meeting Lance’s perfectly. ‘It hurts, Lance,’ He whined, and Lance would have shivered if he could, ‘how badly I want to be able to touch you.’ He finished, his eyes falling closed again.

Lance realised he was being unfair to Keith. He was torturing them with things they couldn’t have.

But just as he was about to pull away, Keith rolled his hips back, his behind brushing against Lance’s crotch with clear intention, and Lance’s shaky hold on his corporeal state puffed out of existence as his concentration slipped. His eyebrows shot up with a startled sound because apparently, even though Lance couldn’t get physically aroused – no matter how fucking attracted he was too Keith –small static shocks were bursting through his gut where pleasure should be curling, it was as if his ghostly body was attempting to fire up his phantom nerve endings, resulting in this strange electrified sensation. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was definitely new. 

He didn’t have much time to dwell on it before he was tumbling straight through Keith with a yelp and this time when Keith shuddered, it wasn’t because of arousal, and more about how fucking cold Lance must be.

He propelled himself backwards with stuttered apologies, trying to coral his lust addled mind into order so that he could make sense of his body’s strange reaction. 

Keith was still leaning against the counter surface, his face and chest flushed with arousal, his eyes heavy lidded and still focused on Lance with a heated intensity, even as he chuckled breathily.

‘Not what I had in mind when I imagined you being inside me.’ He drawled.

A surprised laugh fell from Lance and Keith smiled smugly, turning around to lean his butt against the counter, he crossed his arms over his chest – which did fascinating stuff to his arms – and listened patiently while Lance devolved into a fit of giggles.

‘Ok, OK, Mr comedian,’ He said when he got the giggles under control. ‘Your bath is ready.’ He said, waving a hand in the tub’s general direction, the tap turned off and the water sputtered before stopping altogether.

Keith pushed up from the counter and sauntered past Lance, he turned to follow Keith with his gaze and almost floated straight through the ceiling when Keith tucked his thumbs into the waistband of his sweatpants and pushed them down over his hips and thighs before letting them pool around his feet, he stepped out of them and threw a sly grin over his shoulder when Lance muttered a drawn out ‘Mierda’ which he was sure had been under his breath.

Keith was beautiful, but naked, he was a work of art.

He was all lean muscle, from the spread of his shoulders all the way down to those defined calf muscles. His gaze trailed all the way up, pausing on his thighs before finally settling on Keith ass. He sent a quick thank you up to which ever god was listening for the blessing he had received today. Keith was unfairly attractive and Lance was a simple man with simple needs, and right now his simple need was to bury himself between Keith’s thighs and live their for the rest of eternity.

And then Keith turned around and… Lance, honest to gods, squeaked. _Oh boy!_ Never mind, Keith could live between his thighs for the rest of eternity. Which god did he have to pray to, to get that to happen, like, yesterday.

‘See something you like?’ Keith asked playfully.

‘Yes.’ Lance answered honestly, not bothering to disguise the want in his voice. ‘Now get in the bath.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Keith said with a short chuckle. He turned, giving Lance another wonderful view of his behind – _give me strength! –_ and stepped into the bath. He stopped halfway in to throw a vulnerable look over his shoulder. ‘You’ll stay, right?’ He asked softly.

Lance’s countenance softened tenderly, he drifted closer. ‘Of course,’ he assured. Satisfied, Keith finished stepping into the bath and lowered himself down until he was submerged to his shoulders. He took a seat on the edge of the tub and watched any remaining tension melt off of Keith’s face with a little sigh, he sunk a little lower into the water, his hair fanning out across the surface of the water.

‘This is nice.’ Keith hummed.

‘Wish I could join you.’

‘Why don’t you?’ And Keith made it look so inviting but…

Lance sighed. He wanted nothing more then a long soak in the bath, to join Keith in the water, tucking himself in that Lance shaped space against Keith’s chest. But during the time when he had still been experimenting with his abilities, he had hoped that he could learn to feel water, he’d ran a bath and with excitement he’d gone to swirl his hand through the water but he’d felt nothing. The water had moved but to Lance it just felt like weaving his hand through air. He didn’t feel the rush of water between his fingers or the heat, he didn’t feel the weightlessness water could offer. The disappointment had been crushing and Lance had spent that evening sitting in a tub full of cold water wishing he could cry.

‘The view from up here is much nicer.’ Lance teased, deflecting his moment of melancholy, instead enjoying the little flush that climbed across Keith’s cheeks, but despite the little display of bashfulness, Keith’s legs fell open, his knees resting up against the sides of the tub, giving Lance an interrupted view. Unable to help himself he looked down and sighed longingly. There wasn’t a single part of Keith that wasn’t perfect.

‘How about now?’ Keith asked, cocking his head to the side, sly little smile igniting those little shocks in Lance’s body.

‘Breath-taking.’ He answered softly.

The longer Lance watched him, the more it seemed to affect Keith, evident by the way he was growing hard right before his eyes. Keith squirmed in the bath and his eyes slipped closed, his nostrils flaring to sniff at the air, no doubt scenting Lance’s arousal and admiration, there was no force in the world strong enough that could make Lance look away now.

Lance could just reach forwards, he could touch Keith and Keith would let him, he could alleviate the obvious pressure building between his legs, he could… but… he bit his lip, his eyes trailing up Keith’s body, over his taut stomach, over his abdominals, over his pectorals, across his shoulders and down over his arms, stopping over his clenched fists. He smiled.

‘Why don’t you take care of that Keith.’ Lance suggested with a honeyed voice. Keith let out a startled breath and after only a moment of pause, he wrapped a hand around himself. Lance dropped his gaze down and licked his lips.

The water was making the glide of Keith’s hand smooth, he worked himself over slowly, Lance belatedly realising that Keith was going slow for his benefit.

‘So good, Keith.’ Lance praised softly and Keith’s breath stuttered, Lance smirked when he heard the low breathy whine, he was sure that Keith hadn’t meant for him to hear, but he remembered what Keith had said about liking his voice so Lance started up a steady stream of praise and soft commands that Keith obeyed unquestioningly.

And it felt so good having someone as powerful and as otherworldly as Keith falling apart just from the sound of his voice, to know that behind Keith’s closed eyes he was imagining that Lance was the one touching him. 

And all the while Lance watched from his perch, observing the flex of Keith’s arm as he moved, the tightening of Keith’s stomach as his hips began to thrust up into his fist causing the water to slosh and splash over the side of the tub, the way his breathing became staccato and his hand began to jerk in uneven tugs, with how close he must be.

‘La-ance?’ Keith whined. Lance took his time rearranging himself, by crossing one leg over the other, and leaning forwards to perch an elbow on his knee, he dropped his chin into the palm of his hand and made sure he had a full, uninterrupted, view of Keith. He smirked.

‘Come.’

Keith practically howled through his release, eyes shooting open and gleaming violet as thick ropes of white arched through the air in bursts before slowing to a dribble, in what seemed like an obscene amount to Lance, maybe it was a werewolf thing.

His gaze darted back up to Keith’s face, to see that wonderful blush, and the slack jawed, heavy lidded look he was lazily aiming in Lance’s vague direction, while his hand still worked very slowly over his softening dick, body twitching from the over stimulation he must be experiencing. 

Keith was boneless and relaxed in the bath and despite the fact the Lance was incapable of getting off himself, the electric pulsing in his gut had turned to something resembling pleasure, a different variety then what he was used to when he was alive, and nothing like what Keith was currently experiencing, but it felt like he’d got something out of this.

He felt warm all the way to his toes and Keith wasn’t even touching him.

‘You,’ Lance said, voice steeped with affection, ‘are so beautiful.’ Keith smiled bashfully, which was a juxtaposition to the way Keith’s body was loose and spread open from his orgasm, his hand still loosely holding his cock, surrounded by globs of release that floated in the water around him. He frowned. ‘But we should drain this water and give you a shower because with the amount you came I’m sure the bath is now more cum then water.’

Keith pulled a face, as if now realising this, and with a lengthy sigh, he pushed himself up, while Lance pulled the plug.

The shower started up and Lance watched shamelessly from his new spot on the counter where he was waiting with a towel, embedding the sight of Keith with rivulets of water pouring over his naked form, of the way his arms worked as he washed his hair vigorously and swiftly, and basically everything good about naked Keith (which was everything) into his memory.

He held the towel up when the water shut off and Keith stepped out, he took it with a grateful smile and wrapped it around his waist, tucking the corner into the front to keep it up. Lance must have been giving off some pretty obvious scents while he ogled stupidly after Keith, because Keith cocked his hip and peered over at Lance with a saucy smile that was hot enough that Lance had to wave a hand over his face as warmth suffused his face.

Which was silly, he had just talked Keith into orgasm, watching the whole time, so why now, with Keith standing in front of him in nothing but a towel and looking at him like that, was Lance getting flustered? 

Lance summoned another towel from the towel rack with a roll of his eyes and dropped it over Keith’s head. Keith snorted and began vigorously towelling his hair before draping it around his neck. Gripping the ends of the towels, Keith smiled softly towards Lance.

‘Thank you, Lance, for taking care of me.’

‘Oh,’ Lance drawled, arching an eyebrow as he drifted up and around Keith so that he was reclining in the air just by Keith’s head. ‘It was _definitely_ my pleasure.’ He purred.

Keith smothered a smile and following Lance with his gaze.

‘Obviously that too, but I mean for cleaning me up and staying with me.’

Lance’s face softened and he dropped down next to Keith.

‘Again, it was my pleasure.’ He said in a softer tone.

‘So, how can I take care of you?’ Keith asked. 

Lance blinked at him, tilting his head in confusion, he opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again, before closing it with a hum.

‘I… uh… it’s enough that you’re here.’ Lance said eventually.

‘Really?’ Keith arched a brow sceptically, as if he couldn’t fathom how that could possibly be enough.

‘Yup,’ He sighed. ‘I was alone for a long time, there were days where I felt like I didn’t exist, I even forgot who I was for a time… and I was scared, and so lonely. Until you.’ Lance drifted closer. ‘I know that to you it doesn’t seem like much, but I promise, that to me this is everything.’ He tangled his fingers with Keith’s and squeezed lightly.

Keith searched the air where Lance floated before sighing, a small smile lifting the corner of his lips up.

‘Ok.’ He relented. ‘Let’s go to bed.’ He suggested.

And Lance was so down with that.

Keith was feeling… a lot of thing right now.

Tired, overwhelmed, giddy, warm, relaxed … sated. He hadn’t expected the night to take such a turn, but he couldn’t say he was complaining. He could still hear the low timbre of Lance’s purr in his ear, the pressure at his back before Lance had lost focus. He could still feel Lance’s eyes all over him, and with his eyes closed Keith could imagine that Lance’s hands were skimming over his skin instead of his piercing gaze, that it was Lance’s hand working him over instead of his own.

He’d never made himself so willingly vulnerable to another person before, he was a beast of nightmares, a killer, but something about Lance just made him weak, but not in the way that he had always feared that having mate would do. He made Keith want to settle down, he made Keith want to plant roots and Lance just made that seem less scary.

And for Lance to feel as strongly as Keith felt was enough to assuage the turmoil and uncertainty of their situation, as unorthodox as it was, but then when was anything easy in the supernatural world.

Adam and Shiro were a perfect example. To an outsider it would seem like they were the perfect pair, and before Adam went missing, they were. Both equally as powerful, even amongst their own kinds, and once Adam had got his head out of his arse, they ‘d been devoted to each other.

But they hadn’t started out that way.

Adam had been leading a rebellion of Sorceri in a war against their Queen, now, it wasn’t uncommon for the Sorceri to be at war with each other, given that A Sorcerer could kill and steal another Sorcerer’s magic. But Adam had spearheaded a coup against the then Queen of the Sorceri, after it emerged that she had been using her magic to control and enslave Sorceri into serving the Galra, the leading faction of Vampires that’s greatest desire was to be the reigning Immortals.

He’d always told Keith that he’d inspired the Sorceri to fight with him, but Keith was sure that Adam had used his powers to get the naturally distrustful Sorceri to cooperate, after all Adam was the King of Suggestion. Which didn’t sound so bad until Adam was ‘suggesting’ you take a running leap off a tall cliff, which translated into a thought in your mind that Adam weaves in your head as if the idea had been your own to begin with and that it sounded like the best idea ever. It was insidious how effective his magic was.

But Adam never used his gift on Keith again after Shiro caught wind and arrived just in time to catch Keith by the scruff, mid-jump from the highest cliff closest to them, and knocking sense back into him by smacking him upside the head with a growled ‘Stop hiding Adam’s gold.’

How was a younger Keith supposed to know that Sorceri went batshit insane when anyone touched their gold?

But the point was Adam had likely ‘Suggested’ they join him, that it would be a good idea to usurp a Sorcerer that had the power to control all other Sorceri.

And then Shiro, who had travelled into the Oleander dimension, home to the Sorceri, to attend the bi-century conference of race leaders since it had been the Sorceri’s turn to host, except before reaching the resplendent Sorceri capital, Shiro had caught the scent of his mate and took off.

Which turned out to be a good thing when it was revealed that the conference had been a trap to gather all the leaders in one place so that the Sorceri Queen could hand them over to the Galra.

From what Keith understood, Adam had been less then happy to find that a werewolf had attached itself to him. Tumultuous was one way to describe their relationship back then, but then Shiro had thrown himself in regardless so that he could be there for his mate and helped him take down the Sorceri Queen.

And now Adam was the King of the Sorceri, having absorbed the Queen’s power after defeating her to become the most powerful Sorcerer, but Keith knew that things had almost ended badly between them when Adam used his powers on Shiro.

Keith remembered it vividly, and it was one of the reasons he had disliked Adam so much, but Shiro had come back broken, his mate hadn’t reciprocate his bond, had gone as far as to ‘suggest’ that Shiro’s instinct were wrong and that he should leave and never come back for him, Shiro was home by the time he realised what Adam had done. And for a werewolf, that was devastating but Shiro wasn’t the kind to pursue someone that wasn’t interested, which might have been fine had Adam not been so hot and cold with what he wanted from Shiro.

And not slept with him on multiple occasion giving Shiro false hope. 

Keith had been this close to slicing Adam open when he turned up on Shiro’s doorstep, but it was the regret and heartbreak on Adam’s face that stayed his hand. After that some emotional shit happened between them that Shiro hadn’t wanted to share with Keith and suddenly Adam was in their life as Shiro’s fully bonded mate and Keith had made it his mission to make Adam pay for hurting Shiro.

By annoying him to death.

But now Keith wanted Adam back so that Shiro could be happy again.

He was luckier than most Werewolves that had non werewolf mates, at least Lance wasn’t pushing him away or rejecting him, but he wasn’t going to lie and say he didn’t wish that Lance were alive. For the sake of both their sanities.

Because Lance was going to go through the same cycle of death and even though Keith would be prepared next time, he was sure that his instincts would always rear up to protect Lance, even from the inevitable. His wolf wasn’t dumb, but he also only understood things abstractly, so he wasn’t sure if his wolf, the driving force of his mating instinct, would fully understand why his mate kept dying and why he was unable to protect him.

He wandered what the long term affects the push and pull of grief and elation would eventually do to his wolf?

There was a tug at his hand and Keith hummed, looking towards Lance only for his gaze to catch at the figure standing outside his door, holding a tray.

‘Shiro?’

‘Keith, you’re up!’ Shiro sighed in relief, smiling tiredly. Guilt clawed up his chest. ‘And you showered.’ Keith rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

‘Yeah… I… Lance came back.’ He said in way of explanation. Shiro’s smiled widened and he glanced at the space that Lance occupied.

‘Glad to hear it, Pidge explained on her way out. Lance, I’m sorry you have to go through something like that.’ He said earnestly. And suddenly Keith realised that if anyone knew what it was like to be going through what Lance was going through, it would be Shiro.

Lance’s scent went through a myriad of emotions, too quickly for Keith to decipher until it settled on forced nonchalance that did nothing to hide the anxiety that hid underneath the cloying falseness.

‘It’s not so bad.’ Lance said with a joviality that was definitely false to Keith’s ears. ‘Being dead has it’s perks… I’m never hungry, I don’t need to sleep, trapped gas is a thing of the past and I… um… don’t… sweat.’ He finished lamely. There was a bite of sadness that had Keith jerking forwards with the impulse to comfort, but Lance smothered it with more of that false feeling. ‘And I got killed in my prime which means you guys are seriously missing out because I’m an absolute snack. It was just lucky that he caught me on a good skin day, because if I was stuck like this with a giant zit on my forehead, I’d have a stern word or two to say to whoever is in charge of the Universe.’

‘Um…’ Shiro looked to Keith to the empty space next to him before shrugging helplessly.

‘He said, thank you for your concern.’ Keith summarised.

‘Hey.’ Lance protested. ‘Oh, also tell him that I say, thank you for taking care of Keith while I was away.’ While he was away, as if he had been on a trip and not pulled to the afterlife to face the Goddess of Death.

‘He also says thank you for taking care of me while he was…’ Keith paused, his eyes widening in realisation. ‘Thank you for looking after me Shiro,’ He rushed to get the words out in one breath, ‘I’m sorry that I’ve been so difficult the last few days.’ Shiro blinked at him before his face softened in understanding.

‘You don’t have to thank me, Keith, I’m your brother and I’ll always be here for you when you need me, just as you’ve been there for me.’ His smile widened. ‘I’m just glad that everything turned out alright in the end.’ 

_Until the next time,_ Keith thought sourly.

‘And now that your up and in good spirits, I hope you’ll actually eat something this time.’ He pushed the tray out towards Keith, laden with steaming veg, thick cut chips and two massive T-bone steaks. It smelt delicious and now that his appetite was back, he was ravenous. He took the tray, his mouth watering.

‘Keith! Don’t tell me you were starving yourself.’ Lance gasped. ‘Is this going to happen every time I bug out?’ He asked nervously. Lance didn’t really understand yet just how much his death affected him. And why would he, Keith hadn’t even told him about the mate thing yet.

‘Probably.’ He muttered to Lance before turning back to Shiro. ‘Thanks, Shiro.’

‘You’re welcome.’ He paused. ‘Now that things are ok, do you mind if I head out, I have a lead that I want to follow up on, it’s not a promising one but at this point I can’t afford to ignore any leads I get.’

‘Do you need backup?’ Keith asked around a mouthful of veg, not bothering to use the provided cutlery and just plucking the food up with his fingers. Three days was a long time for a werewolf to go without food.

‘No, you just got Lance back and right now I think you both need each other, so stay. Kolivan and some of the others arrived while you were… resting, Kolivan will come with me.’

‘Ok, stay safe out there.’

With a quick nod and wave towards Lance, Shiro left.

‘A lead for what?’ Lance asked. Keith swallowed down a large bite of his steak before answering.

‘Adam, his mate.’

‘Oh right, the one that went missing ages ago.’ Keith nodded. And then they started walking again, heading into their room while Lance seem to mull something over, his burning curiosity bounced around them. ‘What does it mean to be a mate?’ He finally asked and Keith almost choked on a chip.

He supposed this was a topic that would come up eventually, and hadn’t he just been thinking about hoe Lance didn’t know yet. It wasn’t as if he could keep Lance in the dark about the particular detail forever, but he wasn’t sure where or how to start even explaining. There had never been appropriate words to describe what the term mate meant. Werewolves grew up knowing they would have one, and that their mate would one day become their everything. And everyone in the supernatural world just knew, since everyone had their own variety of it (except for Witches and Sorceri for some reason).

The trouble that Keith found with everyone knowing how much a mate meant to a wolf was that if someone wanted to hurt a werewolf, you go after the mate. Mostly the mate was perfectly capable of defending themselves, but it was rare for a mate to get attacked because no one ever got past the Werewolf protecting them.

He settled his tray of food down on the bed side table and to give himself a moment to think of how to explain, he went through the process of pulling on a fresh pair of sweats, he could feel Lance watching him like a hawk. He pulled the towel from around his neck off and dropped it on the floor. Lance clicked his tongue and the towel lifted into the air and flew out of the door, no doubt finding its way to the bathroom. He watched it go.

‘Thanks.’ He hummed. ‘So, mates.’ He finally addressed. ‘It’s kind of difficult to explain, but most immortals have something called a fated one, a gift of sorts from the Gods to their chosen, after all forever is a long time to spend alone.’ He sat on the edge of the bed and he felt it dip when Lance sat too. ‘We all have different names for it, and different methods of identifying them but for a werewolf, we have what we call a mate.’

‘And all werewolves have one?’ Lance asked, leaning into Keith’s side, Keith sighed, turning his head slightly towards Lance so he could inhale a concentrated amount of Lance’s scent. His wolf shuddered in gratitude, wrapping itself up in a blanket of Lance’s pheromones.

‘Yeah.’ He sighed. ‘A mate is… is…’ He was struggling to find the right words, ‘they are everything.’ He said eventually. ‘We protect them, we love them, we cherish them and in return they offer us clarity, peace, companionship. And if for any reason we lose that mate, the beast would take over in its grief and we lose our humanity, eventually we destroy ourselves. It’s… not a pleasant experience.’ Keith said with a quiet grimace, thinking back to the last few days during Lance’s absence, they weren’t even fully bonded and it had felt like a massive black hole had opened up in his chest and swallowed all the good in him.

‘That sounds intense.’ Lance said, running a hand over Keith bare back, the featherlight touches making the muscles in his back twitch and his skin tingle. ‘Can a mate only be another werewolf?’

‘No, plenty of us have mates outside our race, Adam is a Sorcerer, and Kolivan’s mate is a Harpy, the only trouble, is that sometimes the mate doesn’t reciprocate the bond because they don’t have that same instinct. Fortunately for Kolivan, Harpy’s also have a type of Fated one so the moment they found each other they knew. But for some who either find a mate in a witch or a Sorceri, or in worst cases, a mortal, things don’t always go so smoothly.’

‘Why is a mortal a worst case scenario?’ Lance asked with a sense of urgency in his voice.

‘Mortals have tragically short lifespans, to end up with a mortal is akin to a death sentence, a werewolf rarely outlives their mate. In rare cases a wolf can bite and infect a mortal with lycanthropy, but survival rates are dismal, not many are willing to take the risk. Fortunately, having a mortal mate is rare.’

‘And do you… have a mate?’ Lance asked hesitantly, drawing away from Keith slightly though his hand remained connected to Keith’s back.

Keith took a deep breath. It was now or never.

‘Yeah… I do.’

‘Oh.’ Lance’s hand dropped away completely and Keith felt the physical distance keenly. He could smell the distress in the air, and it hurt, but he was also confused, why was Lance so upset? He hadn’t even told Lance that he was the one yet. And then he picked up the malodorous scent of jealousy and he understood.

‘It’s you!’ He blurted out, not wanting this misunderstanding to stretch on. Lance froze, but he took comfort in Lance’s scent because even though it had shifted straight into shock, he could clearly scent the undertone of elation. ‘It’s you.’ He said again, softer. 

‘Me?’ Came the quiet unsure tone.

‘Yeah.’

‘Are you sure?’ Keith chuckled lightly.

‘I knew from the moment we first met, there was never any doubt.’

‘Holy crap.’ Lance said, sounding winded. ‘But I’m dead.’ He announced with alarm.

‘I had noticed.’

‘So… how?’

‘You still have a scent, and that’s how we identify our mates,’ He explained simply. ‘Your pheromones triggered my mating instinct, only our destined mate can do that.’ He looked down at his lap and folded his hands over one another nervously. ‘I know there’s a chance you might not want that and I would understand if you-‘

‘Shut up for a minute.’ Lance snapped, interrupting Keith. He winced, pursing his lips tightly and wishing he didn’t feel so weak. ‘Ok.’ He could tell that Lance was pacing, a howling wind and started to build up outside and he wondered if that was because Lance was upset, or angry, he just couldn’t tell. ‘Ok.’ Lance said again. ‘I’m your mate?’

‘Yes.’ Keith didn’t look up from his lap, too nervous to face Lance head on.

‘That’s… amazing.’ Lance started laughing, his voice high in disbelief. Keith’s head shot up, eyes wide and alarmingly more wet then he would have liked.

‘It is?’ He asked in a small voice. Lance stopped pacing and his scent turned apologetic and suddenly he was in Keith’s face, cupping his jaw tenderly.

‘Oh Cariño, of course it is.’ He cooed. ‘I didn’t mean to make you worried but I’m kind of overwhelmed here, I’ve gone from settling for whatever you could give me before you eventually moved on, to having everything I could ever want but… it also doesn’t change the fact that I’m dead.’

‘That’s not ideal, obviously, but I think we’d find a way to make it work.’ Keith said, he wanted to believe that they would. Allura had said they would be happy, even if right now he didn’t know how they could make this better. He was still unclear on what it meant when she’d said that Lance needed to decide. But as odd as the comment was, he had to take hope that it meant that one day Lance might not always be dead.

Allura was kooky but usually everything she said, no matter how bizarre, had some form of truth behind it.

And then he caught on something else that Lance said and frowned up at the ghost who was still caressing his face. ‘What do you mean when I eventually move on?’

Lance startled, a flood of sadness washing over him and he didn’t like that at all.

‘I’m dead.’ He said again. ‘What kind of future could you have with someone like me? You can’t even see me, what if I’m not what you really want and someone who is warm, good-looking and alive shows up, someone you can have a future with.’

‘You’re my mate, I don’t want anyone else, I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you.’ Keith stressed.

‘Well I didn’t know that before, I was all prepared to appreciate the time you could give me and let you go when the time came.’ He could almost hear the pout in his voice.

‘How noble of you,’ Keith drawled, ‘but I’m not going anywhere, that I can promise you, the only concern here is that you’ll be the one to leave.’

‘It’s not like I can go anywhere.’ Lance joked. But Keith shook his head.

‘No, I mean what if you finally decide you need to move on.’

‘Never! If I haven’t been ready for the last fifty years then I’m how the hell am I going to go now when I know you’ll be waiting for me,’ Lance said passionately, his forehead dropping to touch against his, he let his eyes slip closed and then he felt a touch to his top lip, gentle and featherlight, before the pressure returned and he abruptly realised with a start that the touch was Lance’s lips.

He hummed contentedly, leaning up ever so slightly to make the angle better and Lance chuckled breathily, before pressing in again. It was a strange sensation to be kissed by a ghost, it was cold like touching his lips against the side of chilled glass of water, and the soft supple texture he normally associated with lips was missing. It was the shape of Lance’s mouth moving against his, and all Keith could do was follow his lead because the moment he tried to take over was when he’d lose the feeling.

And he wasn’t ready for this kiss to end.

When Lance did eventually pull away, it wasn’t because he wanted to, Keith could literally taste the reluctance on the air. ‘Sorry.’ Lance whispered. ‘I could feel my concentration slipping.’

‘It’s ok.’ Keith sighed. ‘Thank you.’

‘What does it feel like to you?’ Lance asked, taking Keith’s hand again, as if he could bare not to be touching Keith in some way. Keith reached up and touched a fingertip to his lower lip as he thought it over.

‘It’s cold.’ He starts with and when he feels Lance tense up, he quickly added, ‘But it’s nice, I like it.’ He wanted to smooth his thumb over the back of Lance’s hand. ‘ I feel the pressure of your lips but I can’t feel you, if that makes sense.’

‘It makes perfect sense.’ Lance agreed sadly, ‘Even though I can touch stuff, I can’t feel any of it, I can’t feel how soft this comforter is or how plush this bed is, I can’t feel the suppleness of your skin, or how smooth your lips must be, but it’s not all bad,’ Lance’s downtrodden scent curved up into something sweet and delightful. ‘I can feel your warmth every time we touch,’ Keith leant into the cool touch that brushed the side of his face. ‘And when I think of you my chest gets all tight and fluttery, I swear I keep expecting my heart to be pounding, even though I know that’s impossible. And earlier, in the bath, while I watched you,’ Lance’s voice dropped to a purr and Keith’s cheeks turned hot. ‘My body was definitely having some kind of reaction, it felt like pulses of electricity in my lower abdomen, it felt like my body was trying to come alive for you, Keith. I feel alive when I’m with you.’

Keith’s heart was racing and aching at the implication, for a start he was relieved to find out that Lance got something out of watching Keith get himself off, it made him feel less guilty for taking without giving something in return, and he was desperate to return the favour but he figured that would be kind of impossible right now.

Also, by the idea that Lance’s body was trying to come alive. Could this be what Allura meant? That if Lance wanted it hard enough, that it would just happen? Seemed fake, but also what if…? He didn’t want to hope too much, maybe Lance was just affected by their weird half bond, Lance had been obvious that he was just as infatuated as Keith was, he’d explicitly said so, and that would have been enough to start forming a bond between them, which was more than just a physical thing, it was a soul thing and Lance was currently all soul, there was no reason he wouldn’t feel that connection between them.

The only trouble was, to complete the bond between them, they needed a physical connection too, he needed to be inside Lance, to mark him with his teeth at the height of the full moon when Keith was at his strongest, to fill him and consume him until all Lance could feel was him, inside and out.

_Yes._ His inner wolf growled in want.

**_Yes._** Keith found himself echoing.

But it was impossible. And maybe that was a good thing right now. The only reason Keith didn’t lose himself fully to the beast was because he and Lance weren’t fully bonded, had they been, Keith wasn’t sure what might have happened.

Lance was bound to go through that ordeal again, so he had to be prepared to handle it better, so that he could be the one to take care of Lance next time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading !! :) xxx


	10. Chapter Nine - Let the bodies hit the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) :) :) :) Please enjoy! This chapter is dedicated to my partner who was able to recover my unsaved work when my pc arbitrarily decided to restart for absolutely no reason, I was seconds away from throwing it out the window when they stepped in. They saved this chapter! 
> 
> :) x

‘I don’t want to.’ Keith grumbled with a pout, he crossed his arms and looked away from Shiro, who was standing off to the side with his hands on his hips and one eyebrow arched up. Lance giggled unhelpfully and poked Keith’s pouty cheek. Keith shot him an unamused look but even that softened when the poke turned into a peck.

‘But you love adventures.’ Shiro coaxed. ‘Or are you too cool to go on adventures with your big brother now.’ He teased.

‘I’ve always been too cool to go on adventures with you.’ Keith snarked with a smirk. Shiro barked out a laugh with exaggerated offence and kicked the sofa Keith and Lance were sitting on. Lance turned incorporeal and the sofa slid out from under him with Keith still on it. He floated up to avoid the potential throw down brewing between the brothers.

Shiro had moved in with them during the last few weeks and it had been fun, because despite how kind and calm he appeared, he liked to instigate fights with Keith a lot.

Keith had assured him it was fine, it was just rough housing between packmates, and that no one ever hit hard enough to do any actual damage, because apparently, it was a form of bonding.

Of course, by this point Lance already knew that they would be fine, his concern was mainly for the house, after they had smashed right through the wall of the dining room. After a severe scolding from Lance, they’d both fixed the wall with their tails between their legs.

After that, they’d promised to keep it outside.

Sometimes though it was fun to watch the build-up.

He hovered over the mantle piece and sat on the ledge to watch.

He and Keith had been settled on the couch, with Lance plastered over Keith’s front soaking up his warmth and listening to his heartbeat while they binged on televisions shows from some streaming site Keith had made the mistake of introducing him to, it all went over Lance’s head but when Keith had first shown him, Lance had been amazed by the sheer selection. They now had a very long list of shows to work through and Keith was probably regretting his choices, but apparently being his mate had its perks since it gave Lance a lot of sway over Keith.

Not that he would ever take advantage of that, but it was nice that Keith was willing to sit with him while he got lost in dramatic plot lines and exciting stories.

Better then doing it alone.

It was also another reason why he never discouraged their fighting; it was an outlet for Keith and Shiro. After a fight Keith always came back calmer and less fidgety. Keith was a man of action, that much was clear, and even though Lance appreciated that Keith didn’t want him to be alone, he was also aware that Keith needed some time out of the house, it couldn’t be healthy to be cooped up all the time.

But Keith had always insisted he was fine.

So, when Shiro came home with the news of a mission from Allura – a strange oracle Fae, that Keith cursed a lot, and apparently the one that had brought them together – Lance’s interest had been piqued. But Keith had shot it down almost immediately and now they were here on a cusp of a fight.

Keith leapt over the arm of the sofa and crouched down with a threatening smirk.

‘Wanna go?’

Shiro straightened and crossed his arms. ‘No fighting in the house.’ He reminded in his dad voice, the one that Lance had taken to teasing him about. It always made Shiro blush and splutter about how he was too young to be a dad, which would only send Keith into a fit of laughter, usually instigating another fight, because apparently Shiro was sensitive about his age. ‘Look,’ Shiro said peacefully, Keith straightened up and folded his own arms as he angled himself away from Shiro defensively. ‘I get why you don’t want to leave,’ He cast a meaningful look towards Lance before returning his gaze to Keith. ‘But Allura stated specifically that you needed to go with me, she said it was important. And even if she hadn’t, it would be nice to go on a quest together, it’s been a while since we did some brotherly bonding.’

Lance could see Keith softening but he knew that he was an obstacle, that as his mate Keith would always pick Lance so before Keith could say anything Lance interrupted.

‘I think it’s a good idea.’ He said from his perch.

‘Huh?’ Keith turned to look up at Lance with that awful kicked puppy expression, if he had wolf ears they’d be dropping and Lance hated that look because he was weak to sad Keith. ‘You want me to leave?’ He questioned in a sad confused voice.

‘Oh, Babe, no, don’t look at me like that.’ He swooped down and cupped Keith’s cheeks, peppering cold kisses all over his face until the look disappeared. ‘Of course I don’t want you to leave, but you also can’t stay cooped up inside this house for the rest of eternity just to keep me company. I accept that you have a life outside this house, and appreciate that you hate the thought of me being alone, but as long as I know that you’ll always come back to me, how could I ever feel alone.’

‘You are my life though.’ Keith said with a little pout that was just too cute. And Lance was beyond smitten with this man. He pressed his hands in to push Keith’s cheeks in and his pout became more pronounced, he gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

‘You’re so sweet, Baby, but the world hasn’t stopped existing just cause you found me, Shiro is your brother and I think he needs you.’ He said meaningfully. And Keith understood, it was in the way his shoulders slumped in defeat and his brows climbed changing his expression from adorable defiance to concern, his eyes looking through Lance to look at Shiro, who offered a small smile.

‘But what about you?’

‘Me? I’ll be fine, I’m used to being alone, remember. But it’ll be different then before because I know you’ll come back.’ Keith still wasn’t convinced, even if his resolve was crumbling. ‘If it makes you feel better maybe you could invite Hunk or Pidge over, I like those guys, they’re fun and Hunk promised to show me his horn thing.’

Hunk and Pidge were great, once they’d been fitted with an earpiece courtesy of Pidge, the conversation had flowed easily, and they got each other. It felt like a pieces slotting into place when Hunk and Pidge were around, like he knew them. He still couldn’t remember them, but sometimes it felt like he could.

And it was comforting.

‘That… does actually make me feel better.’ Keith admitted, resolve crumbling further as his eyes darted back to Shiro, eagerness bleeding in instead and Lance smiled.

‘It’s ok, Keith, I promise I’ll be fine.’

‘If it helps,’ Shiro added, ‘Allura said the artefact is protected by a Chimera.’ Keith’s eyes widened and a small excited sound escaped before he could smother it. He cleared his throat, but it did nothing to mask the excitement shining in his eyes.

‘I want to fight the Chimera.’ He whispered with barely contained eagerness. Lance smiled in bemusement, because it sounded as if Keith was asking for permission, but also, what the heck was a Chimera? 

‘Uh, you go kick that Chimera’s butt, Babe,’ He encouraged with a strained smile. Werewolves. He doubted there would ever be a time he would understand why they liked putting themselves in danger. ‘I’ll kick back with Hunk and Pidge, it’ll be fun.’

‘…Okay.’ Keith finally relented. ‘If you’re sure.’

‘Go. I’ll be here when you get back… I promise.’ Keith took a deep breath and smiled up at Lance with burning affection, he tilted his head back and Lance smiled in understanding. They had a system, Keith couldn’t initiate physical contact, but Lance was getting very good at reading the signals, he leant in and pressed his lips softly against Keith’s in a chaste kiss. ‘But, uh… don’t take to long k, I’ll miss you.’ Lance whispered bashfully and Keith’s smile was so resplendent that Lance swore he could have ascended there and then.

‘We’ll make it quick.’ He turned to Shiro. ‘I’ll go grab my knife.’ Before dashing out of the room.

‘Knife?’ Lance asked, eyes following Keith until he disappeared through the doorway.

‘We don’t always use our teeth and claws to fight. It gets a bit annoying having to pick flesh out of our teeth and blood can really stain our claws.’ Shiro explained casually. Lance pulled a face.

‘Right.’

‘Also, parts of a Chimera are poisonous, it wouldn’t be worth the risk.’ Shiro tacked on and Lance frowned.

‘Poisonous?’ He squeaked out. ‘What exactly is this Chimera and is it dangerous? Should I be worried?’ Shiro seemed to realise his mistake and eyed Lance wearily (they were getting better at judging where Lance stood so sometimes it felt like they could really see him).

‘Relax, it’s nothing we can’t handle. A harmless creature that won’t be a problem at all, Keith will be fine.’ Lance crossed his arms and arched a brow, Shiro couldn’t see him but he was sure he could smell Lance’s doubt.

‘Keith wouldn’t want to fight it if it was harmless.’ Lance pointed out. Shiro averted his eyes and offered a helpless shrug.

‘Lance, it’ll be fine, Keith has faced down an entire horde of Galra vampires alone and barely received a scratch for it. He’s powerful, more so than even me, so don’t worry.’

‘You’ll watch each other’s backs?’ Lance sighed.

‘We always do.’

‘Ok,’ He relented, ‘ugh, don’t tell Keith I was too worried, he’ll change his mind.’ Shiro laughed.

‘I won’t mention it, but you might need to mask your worry if you don’t want him to scent it.’ And as if summoned Keith appeared in the doorway, strapping a scabbard of a dagger to the back of his belt, but stopped when he sniffed the air and frowned.

‘What’s wrong?’ He asked, looking from Shiro to Lance with narrowed eyes before settling on Lance. ‘Are you upset?’

‘No, just worried, but that’s normal when the person you lo- care about is about to head into a possibly dangerous situation, but… I know you can handle yourself, so don’t worry about me.’

‘Are you sure?’ Keith took a few steps closer to Lance and inclined his head a little to peer up at Lance who was still floating. Lance lowered himself to be eyes level with Keith and slipped his hand into Keith’s. ‘I can stay instead if you’d rather.’

‘Don’t be silly,’ Lance scoffed. ‘I know how excited you are to go, so go slay your Chimera and come back in one piece.’ Keith continued to stare with a concerned frown before he sighed and his expressed softened to a gentle smile.

‘You can count on it.’ He said with a certainty that left no room for doubt. ‘I shot Hunk and Pidge a message, they’re on their way.’ He smiled sharpened to something cocky. ‘Want me to bring back one of it’s head as a present?’ One of its head? How many did it have?

‘No… please don’t bring back a head, that’s just… just no. But if you want to get me a present, I’d accept flowers.’ Keith pouted for a moment as if he were truly disappointed that he couldn’t bring a head home as a trophy.

‘Flowers? You want me to pick flowers?’ He questioned. Lance arched a brow at his tone. Like bringing home a head as a present was far more romantic than a bouquet of flowers. It was going to take some time before he got used to an immortals way of thinking.

‘I mean,’ Lance started with teasing lilt to his voice, ‘if picking flowers is too hard a task for you… I just thought it would be romantic is all.’ He hammed up the disappointment in his voice and punctuated it with a deep sigh and Keith immediately straightened up, looking slightly panicked.

‘No, I, uh, I’m sure that once I finish the quest, I’ll have some time to uh… pick you some flowers.’ Shiro snorted and Keith darted a quick glance to Shiro who was smothering a smile behind a hand and glared before turning back to Lance with a strained smile. ‘I’ll uh… miss you.’ He said, his face pinkening and Lance melted and with an affectionate coo he wrapped his arms around Keith’s neck, pulling him into a tight hug.

‘I’ll miss you more.’ He whispered directly into his ear, Keith leant back a little so that they were nose to nose, his gaze hovering around where he assumed Lance’s eyes were. His smile was soft and his silver eyes even softer.

‘Impossible.’ He said and tilted his face, Lance grinned and leant in to kiss him, only this time he lingered, absorbing in the warmth of Keith’s lips until he was satisfied the feeling would last until Keith came back.

‘Hurry back.’ Lance murmured and Keith nodded and pulled away, his neck passing right through Lance’s arms and with a sigh, Lance let them fall to his side.

‘We have a portal arranged to take us there and back, but we should hurry, Ina likes people to be punctual.’ Shiro broke the moment gently and apologetically.

‘K.’ Keith turned and started to follow Shiro out but stopped and looked over his shoulder. ‘See you soon.’

Lance waved until he remembered that Keith couldn’t see him and dropped his hand to cup it with the other one awkwardly.

‘Yeah, soon.’

And the for the first time since Keith had moved in, Lance was alone.

Once the door closed behind Keith, he drifted backwards and looked around with a sad pout. 

Was it pathetic of him that he already missed Keith?

He wrapped his arms around himself. He hadn’t been alone once in the four weeks since Keith had arrived, and he hadn’t realised how hard it would be to be alone again. Already he could feel the dread crawling its way up into his chest, but he couldn’t let it overwhelm him.

Things were so much different now. This house was no longer empty and dilapidated, Keith and the others had soldiered through the renovations and when Keith and Shiro’s other werewolf buddies had arrived the work had moved on twice as fast.

There were signs of life all over the place. The tv was till tuned in to whatever he and Keith had been watching before Shiro had arrived, though he must have missed an episode and a half by now, Keith’s coffee mug was on the low coffee table, one of Shiro’s jackets hung off the back of a chair, a pack of cards and poker chips from last night’s poker game between Shiro, Keith, Antok and Thace were still spread out across the table. A seat was still set up by the window with a book resting on a small table where Kolivan had taken up residence to read peacefully under the open window, a nest of cushions and blankets arranged on the floor besides it where Kolivan’s mate, a Harpie who everyone referred to affectionately as JiJi, had been reclined (Lance had spent a good hour siting with her while Keith was lost in his card game, engrossed in whatever game she was playing on her hand held gaming console, she had been nice, she couldn’t see or hear him but she spoke to him as if she could).

Shoes and coats lined the hallway entrance, a dishwasher hummed away in the kitchen, a throw was spread out across the back of the sofa, Keith’s clothes from last night were probably still in piles on the floor from where he had just kicked it all off before climbing into bed. Normally Lance would have picked it all up and directed it to the hamper but Keith had crawled across the bed with one of those sinful smiles before laying on his back with his bare body spread out like a feast. And when he’d finally taken himself into his own hand after teasing himself under Lance’s watchful gaze well… some things were more important then dirty laundry, and one of those things was sitting between Keith’s spread legs, running a hand up and down the inside of Keith’s thigh while peppering his trembling knee with light kisses and enjoying the sound of Keith’s punchy breaths and muffled whines.

The image of Keith’s slick hand working himself over and the way his glistening fingers disappeared so smoothly into his hole, the tight ring of muscles stretching lewdly around his two digits – wishing desperately that those were his fingers stretching Keith open – would be seared into his memory for eternity.

(And Lance had never cursed his death as much as he did in those moments, it was hot to watch but to be able to touch? To be the one coaxing those raspy moans and desperate whines, to feel Keith’s velvety warmth pressing in around him or to feel those lovely fingers spearing him open instead in preparation for… it turned out that Lance just loved to punish himself by wishing for things he couldn’t have.)

But thinking of Keith did make him feel better.

‘Ugh, get that gross look off your face.’ Pidge’s voice broke through the memories of Keith’s flushed face and he snapped his eyes open in surprise, not realising he’s even closed them in the first place.

‘Was thinking of Keith, missed him.’ He said with a sigh, drifting down dejectedly. She rolled her eyes and made her way to the tv, shrugged her back pack off as she went.

‘He literally only just left, and you do realise he’ll be back by tonight, right?’ She grumbled, yanking the zipper of her bag open and pulling out a big black box. He drifted closer in curiosity, peering over her shoulder as she began pulling out wires. ‘You guys are acting like you won’t see each other for weeks, it’s so dumb.’ She continued to grumble.

Lance glanced away with an embarrassed pout. ‘It’s normal to miss the people you love when they’re away, even if it’s only for a day.’

Pidge stopped what she was doing to glance over her shoulder at Lance, she was wearing a smirk and Lance backed away cautiously.

‘Love?’

‘What?’ He questioned.

‘You said you love Keith.’

‘I didn’t, I said… I mean it’s just that… uh…’ He flustered and after a litany of unfinished sentences he sagged in defeat.

‘Too soon?’ He asked, peering up nervously. Pidge watched him for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and turned back to whatever she had been fiddling with before.

‘There’s no time frame for that kind of thing, people fall in love at different paces.’ Pidge offered casually. ‘Back when you were alive, you loved freely and openly, of course it meant you had your heart broken a lot, but you always believed in love.’ Sometimes Hunk and Pidge would offer snippets of the person he used to be, they said he hadn’t changed much despite death but sometimes it was like hearing about a stranger.

‘That doesn’t sound great.’ Lance thought aloud. 

‘I don’t think it’s a bad thing, humans don’t have the security of fated partners, so they’re more cautious about love, they might end up with people not suited to them or with bad people, and a lot just settle, but you didn’t want something like that, you always talked about finding real love and true connections so you weren’t afraid to put yourself out there. You used to say “I’m not going to find my soulmate if I don’t go out and meet new people” which I thought was dumb, because in my world soulmates always find each other eventually, but I guess I was being obtuse.

‘But, knowing what I know now, I wonder if your obsession with finding a soulmate had anything to do with the fact that you had one waiting for you somewhere… sometimes I wonder if that’s why the fates allowed you into our lives, to eventually lead you to Keith, but then the fates killed you so who the fuck knows anymore.’ Pidge dropped her hands into her lap and sniffed loudly and Lance frowned as he observed her hunched figure.

He drifted over and dropped to the floor so that he could crouch in front of her, she pointed her face away with a flush. He tilted his head to follow and smiled gently.

‘If the fates had anything to do with my meeting with you guys, then I don’t think it was just because of Keith. My existence is a blink in comparison to your lifespans and yet you guys seem to really care about me.’

‘You made it impossible not to like you, you were persistent and loud and so ridiculously full of life that rather than being a blink of an eye in our lives, you were an entire fireworks display, you know the kind you just never forget about. You were – are – our best-friend.’

Lance laughed happily, rocking on his heels slightly as he watched the upset drain from Pidge’s face.

‘But seriously,’ Pidge continued, ‘there’s no shame in too fast or too slow –’

‘Or, not at all.’ Lance pointed out with a toothy grin, Pidge paused and eyed him curiously for a moment, before slowly nodding her head with an approving smile.

‘Yeah, or not all.’ She shook her head. ‘And I’ll tell you now, there’s no way that Keith doesn’t feel the same way you do.’

‘Yeah?’

‘Keith has always been reluctant about finding his mate, he was scared it would make him weak or something, but I’ve never seen him so… happy.’ She frowned. ‘But then again, Keith hasn’t had the easiest life after what happened to his original pack and then, when Shiro went missing. I think he’s been scared of how at mercy he’ll be to his mate and terrified that one day he’ll wake up and you’ll be gone.’

He hadn’t known that Keith belonged to another pack. And now he was curious about what happened to them, nothing good judging by the way Pidge said it, but still he wanted to know because he wanted to know things about Keith. But… it’s definitely something he should ask Keith just in case it was something he wasn’t ready to share.

‘I’d never leave him willingly.’ Lance exclaimed instead, pushing down his curiosity for later.

‘I know, Keith has been exactly what you’ve been looking for your whole life, it would be super dumb of you to let him go now that you found him but please… don’t break his heart, Lance.’

‘Never.’

‘Good, because I’m sure I can find a way to put a curse on a ghost.’ She threatened and Lance laughed nervously and drifted away a little with his hands up in front of him.

‘I’ll keep that mind.’ He dropped his hands and pointed at the black box she had been fiddling with. ‘What’s that?’

Her smiled widened and she dove straight back into untangling wires and plugging things in, he watched as she hopped up and tucked her head behind the tv and when the show he was watching disappeared he made a disappointed sound, he hoped Pidge would fix that after she was finished doing whatever she was doing because he sure as hell didn’t know how to.

The screen was black for a moment before a pixelated menu screen appeared, with a character that was standing at centre screen under the title screen, bouncing from side to side with a sword that was much too big for the character.

‘Killbot phantasm 1? What’s this?’

‘I’m about to introduce you to the world of gaming.’ Pidge announced proudly and Lance eyed the screen dubiously.

‘It looks… uh…’

‘I know, the graphics are outdated, and I know they’ve just released Killbot phantasm 5 which is beautiful by the way, but nothing beats the original, you know?’

Lance did not know, what he did know was arcade games. He was sure there was this place in town not from the beach where he would go with… uh… with… where he’d go to kick ass at Star Raiders, he was sure he was reigning champion of the leader board until someone knocked him off top spot, he remembered quite vividly of a kid-Lance swearing an eternal rivalry with whoever KKG was, shame he never got a chance to reclaim his title before he died.

What an odd thing to still remember.

The door burst open and the rustling of shopping bags carried through from the hallway until Hunk appeared around the corner.

‘Sorry I’m late, I’ve got Nadia watching the bar today so I can hang out all day, but I had to stock up on snacks if we plan to binge watch shows, or … is that Killbot phantasm 1?’ Hunk asked stopping short to look at the screen. ‘Pidge, you know 5 has come out now.’

‘This is the best one.’ She snapped, glaring over her shoulder at Hunk. ‘Wanna fight about it?’

‘No way, you always just slap a hex on me and disappear for a week and I’m left to handle whatever you’ve cooked up until you show up to undo it.’ He sighed. ‘I’ve learnt my lesson.’ He lifted his bags up. ‘But I made a batch of fresh peanut butter cookies.’ He offered temptingly.

‘I accept your apology.’ She snapped before leaping over the sofa and snatching the bag from his hand.

‘Lance, I had a mini crisis in the store when I realised I had no idea if you ate or not, I bought so many snacks without thinking about it until I tried to remember what your favourite treat was and then it all went down hill from there. So, I panicked and bought you a bag full of gashapon toys instead.’

‘…Sweet.’ Lance floated over and peered into the bag. ‘Do you think Keith will want to open these with me?’

‘That boy will do anything you ask Lance, and if that’s to spend the evening cracking open gashapon balls with you, he’ll do it with a big grin on his face.’ Pidge snorted around a mouthful of cookie.

‘Nice.’ Lance said, he flicked a wrist and the bag pulled away from Hunk who let it go, it drifted out of the room towards Lance and Keith’s room. ‘Thanks Hunk.’

Playing games was a new experience for Lance, and a tricky one, the game itself wasn’t hard but Lance was finding it hard to split his attention between keeping his hands corporeal, so that he could hold the controller, and the story, and when the controller dropped straight through his fingers and his lap to land on the sofa for the fifth time, Lance decided that maybe gaming wasn’t his thing.

He levitated the controller over to the coffee table and sensing his frustration, or maybe he heard his drawn out sigh, Hunk suggested that Lance help him make lunch instead. Pidge, too invested in the game waved them off and Lance trailed after Hunk to the kitchen.

‘Hello!’

Hunk stopped short at the door and Lance pushed up and hovered over Hunk’s head to see who had been the one to greet them. ‘You are just on time.’ The gorgeous woman standing on the other side of the island, had her hands deep in a bowl of batter or what was left of it, because there seemed to be more batter smeared over of the counter surface and over herself then in the mixing bowl.

A mouse popped out of the batter that was still in the bowl, nestled between her hands, and cheeks stuffed full.

He spied another mouse poke out from between the curls of her long white hair before disappearing back into her tresses.

Her pointy ears and glowing face marks told Lance she wasn’t a random mortal who had just wondered into his kitchen from the street to start randomly making… a cake? Cookies? He wasn’t sure what she was making and by the helpless look on her face she wasn’t sure either.

‘Hunk, I just can’t seem to get the consistency right.’ She whined pulling her hands free from the goopy mess, Lance winced when more of it dripped from her fingers to land on the counter surface. Hunk sighed so deeply Lance felt it.

‘Allura,’ Hunk started, and Lance’s eyes widened. This was Allura the oracle Fae! The one that had brought Keith and him together. She’s not at all like he imagined, she was covered in less batter in his imagined version of her for a start. Hunk pressed his hands together and pressed his fingers to his lips as he took a deep breath. ‘have you considered that baking just isn’t for you.’

Allura, looked down at the bowl with a small pout, with out lifting her head she peered at Hunk from under her lashes with a doleful expression.

‘What did I do wrong?’

‘Where do I start?’ Hunk inhaled. ‘Ok, you added way too many eggs, cookie dough shouldn’t be runny.’ Hunk moved around the counter too get a closer look and hummed thoughtfully, he reached in and pulled the mouse out of the bowl by it’s tiny scruff. ‘And I really would suggest you don’t let the mice swim in it, or eat it for that matter, this much raw egg can’t be good for them.’ Hunk carried the mouse over to the sink and turned the faucet on, with gentle fingers he began to wash the batter of the mouse’s coat. ‘And why are you trying to make cookies in Lance’s kitchen?’

‘Did I get the wrong day?’ She asked and Hunk just shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

Lance cautiously floated closer, he wasn’t sure if she could hear or see him, but Lance was curious about her, Keith had been vague when he’d described Allura, brilliant and kind but always on the edge of crazy. He looked around the kitchen and thought… yeah, maybe.

He waved his hands out and simultaneously all the batter smattered all over the kitchen lifted into the air and with gentle coercion, because he didn’t want to splatter Hunk who was still over by the sink, the batter trailed through the air and into the sink, draining away with the running water. He made sure to gather all the batter that was all over the Fae. 

‘Oooh!’ Allura marvelled, her hands clapping together excitedly. ‘Thank you, Lance!’ And then she looked directly at him.

‘Can you see me?’ He asked, daring to move a bit closer. She looked thoughtful for a moment.

‘No, and I also can’t hear you but we’ve had this conversation before so I know what you’re going to say.’ She explained. She removed her apron and draped it over the counter and when she straightened up Lance glanced down at her top, “I ain’t afraid of no ghosts” was printed across her front in the greenish white that made him think it probably glowed in the dark.

‘…Ok.’ Lance said slowly, looking back up to her face. ‘Not that it’s not nice to meet you… uh… Allura was it? But what are you doing here?’

Allura didn’t answer straight away, she was frowning, her finger pressed to her temple as if she was thinking hard about something.

‘He said – ’

‘No! I have it.’ Allura interrupted before Hunk could translate. ‘No, it did not hurt when I fell from heaven.’ She said suddenly. ‘Oh no, wait, that’s the wrong conversation, um, oh!’ She ran to the door and where a bag was resting up against the frame and she knelt down to start riffling through it. ‘I have a gift for you Lance.’

A gift? Despite himself, he found himself drifting over to hover while she rooted around, Hunk, now done with washing the mouse that now sat content on his shoulder, had also grown curious and watched her too.

‘Now, you’d better appreciate this gift, I had to sleep with someone very unfavourable to get my hands on this again and he has stamina so it took forever before he was finally worn out enough to a fall asleep.’ 

‘By unfavourable she means Lotor, and don’t be fooled, they fuck every hundred years or so when their crazy align.’ He looked over at Pidge, who was leaning against the door frame. ‘What are you up to Allura?’ She asked, with narrowed eyes.

‘Lotor’s not so bad,’ Allura defended, pausing her search, but Lance had no opinion on the matter, he had no idea what was happening right now. ‘He’s an acquired taste, but he understands me in a way not a lot of others do.’

‘He’s the prince of the Galra vamps.’ Pidge growled. ‘He’s the enemy who has killed countless mortals, every vamp knows you never drink to the last drop but he does every time and now he’s past acceptable levels of insane.’

‘I know,’ Allura sighed. ‘But I’m one of the oldest immortals in existence, I’ve yet to find my treasured one and with the way I am, I doubt I ever will, so I get lonely and he scratches an itch.’

Lance understood loneliness. Perhaps not to the degree that Allura has experience, fifty years seemed paltry compared to her seemingly long life, but he understood to some extent.

‘Did you forget that Lotor was the one that captured Shiro?’ Pidge snapped. ‘The one that had him tortured for centuries, the one that ordered the attack on–’

‘I know! And I promised I would never seek him out for myself anymore, but I had to do this, he once stole this from me a long time ago and I overlooked it because I didn’t need it at the time but the time has come.’

‘Time for what?’ Pidge asked.

Allura was silent for a moment, looking down at something in her hand before she stood abruptly and turned to Lance, he startled, floating back a little as she took hasty steps towards him until she came to a stop directly in front of him. 

‘It so close now.’ Allura mumbled, mostly to herself, her eyes were locked on his with eery precision, yet she looked a thousand miles away. ‘The first vision I ever had of you Lance was over three thousand years ago.’ His eyes widened, that was an awfully long time ago, what must it be like seeing visions of people that didn’t even exist yet. ‘The Galra have us outnumbered; we couldn’t win so I’m sorry, but you had to die.’

‘What do you mean I had to die? How does my death effect what ever war you guys have with the Galra?’

‘You and Keith will turn the tides.’ She said cryptically, her voice feverish, her eyes so wide that her bright blue irises trembled in their centres. ‘Keith had to live, and you had to die, it was the only way… I’m sorry.’ He voice went small, sad, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Lance was frozen under the intensity of her gaze, scared and so very confused. 

‘Allura,’ Pidge snapped, ‘You’re not making any sense!’ And just like that the tense moment snapped and Allura blinked, her crystal blue eyes refocusing, and she looked around in confusion.

‘Oh.’ She exclaimed. ‘I’m here already.’ Lance frowned, even as she smiled brightly oblivious to the tension she had created in the room, and she sighed. ‘You were always such a nice young boy Lance, always a charmer with your cheeky smile, I’m glad to see that death didn’t change you.’ Lance looked to Pidge for answers who just shrugged.

‘Are you… ok?’ He asked slowly.

‘Peachy. I have a gift for you, I had it made especially for you a very long time ago, it’s crafted and infused with Fae magic, very rare so make sure you look after it.’ And then she held out her hands and in the centre of her palm was a choker with a blue gem that shimmered enchantingly.

‘By Freya’s saggy tits, is that really… Fae magic?’ Pidge came forwards, eyes wide with interest on the choker being presented to Lance. ‘Isn’t against the law of your people to bring Fae artefacts into the mortal plane?’

‘Technically,’ Allura said, ‘but they would have to know that the artefact existed and only I and the one that crafted it knows of its existence, everyone else just thought it was another pretty bauble I had commissioned for my personal collection.’ She made a sour expression. ‘Lotor stole it several centuries ago during a booty call though, which was so very uncool of him, but jokes on him because it will only work for you.’

‘And what exactly will it do?’ Lance asked, nervously. Should he accept the sketchy choker from someone who wasn’t fully compos mentis?

‘Fae magic is powerful stuff, far more powerful than the magic that Witches wield and only a Fae can use it.’ Pidge explained, she peered up at Allura with a suspicious look. ‘Are you sure it won’t drive him insane?’

‘Oh, no… I don’t think so anyway, no, he’ll be fine.’ Comforting.

‘I’d put it on.’ Pidge suggested. ‘Allura is several shades of batty but she’s reliable, everyone trusts her.’

Right, if Allura suggested something, it was in your best interest to listen. And, she did lead Keith to him… He reached forwards and picked up the necklace and gasped. A foreign magic thrummed under his fingertips, sending pulses of energy up his arms and into his body, and for a moment, he felt breathless, like when you’re suddenly submerged into ice cold water and your breath catches, which was a long forgotten sensation for him since he hadn’t needed to breath in such a long time.

He lifted it up to his neck and fiddled with the clasp until it clicked in place and then he was overcome with an overwhelming pressing sensation. Oh, he did not like that. It felt as if every part of him was being squeezed to the point of unbearable, that if this tightening went any further, he’d be squeezed out of existence.

And then it was over and every part of himself spread out to fill a mould, a familiar shape that he’d forgotten about.

He cried out when he crashed to the floor, from the surprise rather than from any pain.

‘Lance!’ He heard Pidge cry.

‘Holy shit.’ He heard Hunk choke out.

‘Oh good, it worked.’ Said Allura.

Lance lay flat on his back, dazed and feeling all kinds of odd. Three heads appeared over him, all with vastly different expression, Pidge was calculative, Allura was beaming and Hunk was shocked and, was he crying?

But more importantly they were _all_ staring at him.

‘What worked?’ He choked out, throat feeling tight.

Allura crouched down by his side, looking like an angel with the light of the room hallowing her head and poked his arm. She poked him, she initiated a touch and he felt it… he didn’t have to think about what part of his body to make corporeal, she just touched him, and her finger connected with him.

What the fuck was going on? 

‘Welcome to the physical plane, Lance.’

‘What. The. Fuck!?’ Pidge exclaimed. ‘Did you bring him back to life? And why have you been sitting on _that_ this whole time, Lance has been dead for fifty years, all alone, and you made him wait.’

‘I told you, Lotor stole it and I had to wait, time has made Lotor paranoid, if I had appeared too soon after the last time he would have been suspicious of my motives and I never would have had a chance to find and steal it back.’ Allura explained testily. ‘And I’m sorry Lance I haven’t brought you back to life, the purpose of the choker was to pull your spirit into the physical plane, but to exist in this plane you need to be physical, otherwise the pressure would crush your spirit, the magic, with the stone at it’s centre, creates a shell using your spirit as a mould, it created something resembling a body.’

‘What?’ He said, he lifted his hands to look at them and saw deep tan skin, not the pallid off-brown he’d gotten used to seeing. He couldn’t see through them. He… what?

‘There are limitation to this magic of course, it created a shell to protect your spirit but at the end of the day that’s all it is, a shell. The human body is a complicated thing that not even the most powerful magic can replicate, this was the best that I could do.’ She said as if what she had given him was such a small thing.

‘You can see me?’ He asked.

‘Yes.’ Allura confirmed, smiling lightly.

‘And you can touch me?’ He held up both of his hands and immediately Hunk and Pidge rushed forwards to grab a hand each, clutching them tightly between each of theirs.

‘Yeah… Oh gods Lance, you’re here.’ Hunk choked out, tears dripping out of the corner of his eyes.

Lance’s answering smile stretched across his face and he laughed, the sound packed with the emotions that still couldn’t bleed from his eyes in the form of tears. But that was ok, he could accept those limitations, he was here, he existed. He wasn’t invisible anymore.

Hunk and Pidge pulled him up into a seated position and he adjusted so that he could lean against the island. His friends were still holding his hands and he was grateful for it, he didn’t want them to let go.

He looked over at Allura and put as much feeling as he could into his expression.

‘Allura, I don’t think there’s anything I could say that would ever express how grateful I feel right now, you say it’s the best you could do as if you haven’t done enough but… this is worth more to me then you could possibly imagine.’ He laughed in disbelief. ‘I exist!’ He exclaimed in excitement.

‘I’m gonna hug you,’ Hunk warned. ‘I’m gonna hug you so hard Lance.’

‘I’m ready, buddy.’ Lance exclaimed, beaming.

‘Wait!’ Pidge suddenly exclaimed. Hunk paused with his arms outstretched and shot her a disappointed look. ‘I think Lance’s first physical hug should be with Keith.’ Lance blinked at her in surprise and suddenly he wished more than anything that Keith was here. What would Keith think? He brushed his fingers through his bangs and self-consciously wondered if Keith would like what he saw. Lance barely remembered what he looked like, what if he looked like garbage? He glanced down at himself and grimaced at the bloodstained shirt and at that tears in the shirt where the knife had gone through.

Hunk was teasing Pidge over his head but Lance liked the idea that his first hug would be with Keith. He couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when Keith got home and found Lance like this, with giddiness and nerves in his belly he looked up.

‘Sorry Hunk, rain check on that hug?’

‘It’s cool I understand, Keith is going to flip when he finds out.’ Hunk giggled. ‘Should I record the moment?’ He asked.

‘Yes, I bet he’ll cry.’ Pidge smirked. ‘But why did you send Keith on a quest with Shiro if you planned to give Lance the choker today?’ Pidge asked. Allura looked at her blankly.

‘Did I? Hmm, I wonder what I asked them to get?’ She tapped her chin thoughtfully before shrugging. ‘I’m sure I’ll remember when I need to, but won’t Keith be so surprised.’ She giggled, and when she locked eyes with Lance she winked. There was a knowing glint in her eyes that contradicted her obliviousness.

She got to her feet. ‘I should get back, I never told Coran I was leaving so he’ll probably be beside himself with worry and Chulatt can only distract him for so long.’ She swiped her bag up from the floor.

‘Wait Allura there’s something I have to ask you.’ Lance called out. She hummed, tilting her head in curiosity. ‘Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?’ Her eyes widened and then she threw her head back and laughed.

‘Oh Lance,’ She said, swiping at the corner of her eye. ‘You are refreshing.’ She was still giggling when she left.

And Lance still hadn’t got up from the floor, still too dumbstruck by what had just happened to him and low key worried he wouldn’t remember how to walk. He pressed a hand to his chest and pursed his lips when he was met by an uncomfortable stillness, he also noted that he had no pressing urge to breath either. But this was fine… he had already been blessed with a lot; he couldn’t be too greedy now.

‘How are you feeling?’ Hunk asked.

‘Strange, it’s a lot to wrap my head around.’

‘I bet.’

‘Do you think Keith will like me?’ He asked suddenly, then ducked his head bashfully, what a dumb thing to be worried about.

‘Dude, you’re beautiful, you always have been, of course he’ll like you.’ Hunk assured.

‘Keith wouldn’t care what you looked like,’ Pidge added, ‘his priority is your happiness but… I can tell you now that you are definitely his type.’ Lance hummed happily.

‘Thanks guys… I… really wish I could remember you.’ Pidge and Hunk shared a look and smiled.

‘We can make new memories, we’re just glad that we still have you.’ Hunk offered softly, placing a comforting hand on Lance’s shoulder, because he could do that now. Lance didn’t even need to think about it, he could just reach forward and touch them without worrying he’ll go straight through them.

‘I think the first thing I’d like to do is have a shower and change my clothes. This is,’ He pulled at the front of bloodied shirt, ‘kind of upsetting to look at.’

‘Sure, do you need help getting up.’

‘I… think so, my limbs, they feel heavy.’ He admitted. Hunk leant forwards and tucked a hand under Lance’s elbow and Pidge took the other side and together they pushed him up onto his feet. They stuck with him until he felt steadier and they slowly let go of him and when Lance didn’t immediately crumple to the floor he considered it a victory.

Each step, when he found the courage to move, felt heavy. He supposed that after being a floaty spectre for almost fifty years he was used to be light and airy, it would take some getting used to before the body began to feel more natural, and less like a weight he needed to carry.

He tackled the stairs, Hunk and Pidge hovering worriedly behind him just in case his legs gave halfway up. And they accompanied him all the way to the bathroom.

‘I think I can take of it from here.’ Lance assured, they nodded and told him they’d wait downstairs for him, he smiled at them warmly before closing himself in the bathroom.

He took a moment to settle himself before walking to the counter and looking at himself for the first time in forever. For a brief second, he was terrified there would be no reflection, but, there he was. 

He leant across the counter to get a better look at himself and smiled. Rich brown skin, vibrant blue eyes, dark chocolate hair that curled along the side of his cheek and framed his eyes. This was what he looked like… he’d forgotten.

He stepped back and took a deep breath, it offered no relief, his chest didn’t stretch to welcome the pull of air.

_Don’t be greedy, Lance._

He hurriedly stripped off his clothing and stepped into the shower, without waiting for the water to warm up he turned it on and what must have been freezing cold water hit him, not that he would know. He could feel the water hitting his skin but it was neither cold nor hot, just… wet.

_Can’t be greedy._

He shrugged it off and ducked his head under the spray, he blindly went through the process of shampooing and conditioning, he cleaned, scrubbed and buffed his body until he was gleaming and his skin had a semblance of a rosy hue.

And then curiosity got the better of him.

Nibbling on his lower lip, he reached down and cupped himself, he circled his fingers around his soft dick and sighed… he should have known. There was no stimulation, a few quick tugs yielded no reaction and he quickly removed his hand and stepped out of the shower.

_Told you not to be too greedy._

He tied a towel around his hips and towel-dried his hair until it was no longer dripping.

He looked at his old bloodied clothes and thoughtlessly he swiped a hand outwards and for a brief moment he wondered if that would even work now.

Immediately the clothes lifted and went flying towards the small waste bin under the counter and Lance stared. He’d done things like this a hundred times before, but he had assumed it was ghost thing. Well, Allura did say he was still dead, he was just a ghost in a body suit.

It was comforting to still have that connection though, his magic had been a comfort to him, proof that he could still grow, that he could still be a part of the world even if it continued to move on without him.

He darted to his and Keith’s room and stood dumbly in the middle of the room when he realised that he didn’t have spare clothes. He looked at the bed at Keith’s forgotten sweatpants and smiled. That’ll do.

He pulled on the pants and pulled out Keith’s red hoodie, he yanked it over his head and took minute to enjoy the moment (and he may have thrown himself onto the bed to bury his face in the pillow to squeal hysterically when the feeling building in his chest became too much to contain) (there may also have been a gratuitous amount of rolling around when he realised he didn’t have to worry about falling through the bed).

The only thing that could make him feel better than this, was if Keith were here to be excited with him. 

_Hurry home, Keith._

‘I can’t believe you got bit by the tail because you got distracted by a flower.’ Shiro laughed, which only served to piss Keith off further, aside from being laughed at, Shiro’s shaking was jostling his body which was throbbing from the large dose of venom the chimera’s tail had injected right into his leg. It had spread fast and it felt like he was on fire, but it wouldn’t kill him, he just had to seat it out which should take a few hours, tops.

‘It was supposed to be dead.’ He growled. The beast had fallen, Keith had made sure of that but he hadn’t seen the tail rear up in its last moments, and his mind had already wandered, thinking about what flowers Lance would like because he was horrendously smitten and Shiro’s warning shout had come to late. The snake had lunged, its fangs sinking into the meat of his thigh and pumping him full of venom.

He’d lopped it’s head off and yanked its jaw from his thigh, before kicking it into a nearby ravine with a shout.

The puncture wounds had already healed but the venom was still working its way through his body like liquid fire in his veins and he could barely keep himself upright. So, Shiro had pulled Keith’s arm over his shoulder and half carried him through the portal.

Shiro was still chuckling under his breath as he dragged Keith up the stairs of their front porch, but Keith had tuned him out because he could already smell Lance. He sagged against Shiro with a sigh, mates always made everything better, the pain became muted as Lance’s scent became his focal point.

Gods, he smelt divine, Lance always smelt good, but it seemed… stronger somehow, more intense.

‘Can you hold this so I can grab the door.’ Without answering Keith held his hands up for the large disc, he had no idea what it’s purpose was but if Allura wanted it then It had to be important, even if it looked like a glorified dinner plate. Shiro hesitated to pass it over though. ‘Allura did tell me to warn you not to drop the artefact, are you sure you can hold it.’ Keith rolled his eyes.

‘I’m not gonna drop the damn plate.’ He snapped, Shiro passed it over and with his free hand he opened the front door.

He guided Keith through first and Keith was about to call out for Lance when he spotted a figure walking down the stairs.

He stopped short, frowning at the stranger who had frozen mid-step, he watched Keith stare with an apprehensive look, his thin brows bunched in worry, Keith’s eyes dropped to his mouth when pearly teeth nibbled on his plush lower lip.

Soft, adorably ruffled, brown hair framed his blue eyes, and softened his sharp features. He was tall, trim, and his rich skin spoke of days spent under the sun.

And he was wearing Keith’s clothing.

Huh?

It was obvious what was happening here, Keith always knew who his mate was, there was never any doubt, but Lance was a ghost, because he was dead, that was their reality, so even though he knew who he was seeing, he couldn’t make any sense of it.

How was he currently gaping at his mate, his ridiculously pretty mate who was so pretty it made his chest ache with longing (how had he got so lucky?) who was standing, visible, coloured with life and smiling nervously at Keith like he was unsure.

‘Shiro… am I have a venom induced hallucination or am I really seeing…?’ But Shiro shook his head, open surprise on his face.

‘No, I’m seeing him too.’

‘Ok.’ Was his strangled response.

The important dinner plate slipped from his lax grip and crashed to the floor loudly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading !!! 💖


	11. Chapter Ten - I'm Drunk On You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is late, I've been focused on my art work lately and have been working on this slowly on the side, but I got it done!   
> No Lance pov this time because he hogged the last chapter but it'll be his turn next time when some shit goes down...
> 
> ~Anyways~ please enjoy chapter Ten!! 😄😊

Keith could only stare. Even when Shiro exclaimed his name loudly followed by a defeated ‘I should have listened to Allura’ as he stared sullenly at the broken plate shattered across the floor. Did Shiro seriously expect Keith to care about some silly plate when his mate was right there.

He’d never really thought too hard about what Lance might look like simply because he didn’t want to torture himself with the what if’s and because it didn’t matter, his scent was beautiful, and it was enough. But what a damn shame it would have been to never have basked in the beauty that was Lance Mcclain.

But under all the awe and beyond the enthusiastic tail thumping of his wolf, who was practically salivating at the sight of Lance, he was seriously confused – and in pain – but mostly confused.

Lance was hovering between one step and the next, looking bashful and unsure, and he supposed it had something to do with the fact that Keith had done nothing but stare like an idiot. He was in shock, ok, he needed a moment to process.

He took a step forward and ignored the pathetic whine from Shiro when more ceramic crunched under his foot.

‘…Lance?’ He whispered, his voice cracking on the ‘a’.

Lance smiled shyly, he reached up with one hand to fiddle with a strand of hair at the base of his neck.

‘The one and only.’ He said with a small nervous chuckle. And Keith’s eyes went wide, hearing Lance’s voice without that strange tinny echo just made everything so much more real.

‘Holy shit.’ He murmured under his breath. ‘Holy shit.’ He exclaimed louder and he was ready to charge up the rest of those steps and sweep Lance up into his arms when his world tilted and he went stumbling off to the side, his head going woozy.

Fucking Chimera, ruining this for him.

Lance expression shifted from nervous to worried, his eyes shooting to Shiro – ‘no, no, no… keep those blues on me’ – before darting back and then Lance was coming to him.

That worked.

The moment he was in reach, Keith’s hand shot out and grabbed him by the wrist – and Dear Freya he was touching Lance’s skin – and pulled him in roughly against his chest. Lance yelped in surprise, but he was quick to wrap his arms around Keith’s neck, while Keith held him tightly to his front with his arms around Lance’s trim waist, hauling him up slightly from the ground.

One of Lance’s hand trailed up to cup the back of Keith’s head and with a strangled sob, Keith buried his face into the crook of Lance’s neck and inhaled a lungful of his rich scent.

Lance nuzzled his cheek against the top of Keith’s head with a smile, and Keith basked in the happiness he could taste in Lance’s scent.

But Keith had so many questions, and conflicting needs, he needed answers, but he wanted to keep Lance as physically close as possible, but he also wanted to keep looking at Lance but he had to put some distance between them to be able to do that and he wasn’t willing to let go yet.

For weeks he’d made do, ignoring the sting every time he’d forgotten himself and reached for Lance and missed. And now… he gripped the back of Lance’s hoodie and pressed his lips against the column of Lance neck in a chaste kiss. He treasured the little contented sigh Lance released and reluctantly loosened his hold and pulled Lance away from him by the back of the red hoodie, but not far enough away that he couldn’t see every fleck in those sapphire eyes.

Such pretty eyes.

Still keeping one hand on the small of Lance’s back, keeping him close – not that Lance seemed all that eager to be separated from him either – Keith brought one hand up to cup his cheek, stroking a thumb over the curve of Lance’s high cheek bone. Lance’s eyes slid closed as Keith explored Lance’s face with his eyes and his fingers, cataloguing each dip, the line of his thin brows, the cute upturn of his nose, his pillowy lips… fuck, why hadn’t he kissed him yet?

He definitely had to remedy that.

‘I’m going to kiss you now.’ He warned. Lance’s responding grin was feral and Keith wolf was howling at the sight of it.

‘What are you waiting for… a written invitation?’ He snarked with a cocked brow, it sounding very much like a challenge issued (and boy, did the wolf in him rise to the occasion because if Lance was the prize, Keith would win it all), with a groan Keith dragged him into a kiss, which sailed right past chaste and what should have been the innocence of their first solid kiss, into something deep and searching.

With the pressure of his lips, Lance’s parted easily, and his tongue darted out and over Lance’s bottom lip, meeting Lance’s somewhere in the middle and sliding against it. Something that he noted, was that Lance’s mouth was a little dry but as the kiss stretched on – and he hoped that Shiro had taken his cue and scrammed because Keith was not about to let Lance go now that he had him – moisture from Keith’s slick mouth coated Lance tongue with each explorative swipe of his longer tongue.

He bet that tongue could reach some pretty marvellous places, Keith thought with feverish thoughts… and he was feeling very feverish… hot and light-headed and… no wait, that was the venom.

He stumbled against Lance and Lance broke the kiss to clutch Keith to his chest, brows bowed in concern as Lance’s gaze darted over his face. Keith whined, why was Lance not kissing him anymore.

‘You are sweating profusely.’ Lance noted. ‘Why are you sweating so much.’

‘Snake tail bit me, it was venomous.’ It was suddenly getting harder to breathe and his words were growing slurred.

‘Venom!’ Lance screeched, grabbing Keith’s shoulders when he began to lilt sideways.

‘But it’s fine… my body will sweat it out, I’ll be fine in like a few hours.’ He sighed longingly. ‘You are so fucking pretty.’ He slurred, blinking slowly and smiling like a dope down at his mate. Lance watched him in bemusement for a moment before smiling slowly.

‘You won’t die?’ He asked, unsure

‘Nope… I’m immortal, baby.’ Keith assured and then he snorted, falling further into Lance with an inane giggle.

He felt Lance’s chest rumble with laughter, and he sighed, he had such a nice laugh rumble… ‘Whassup?’ He slurred, his words blending together as his tongue grew heavy in his mouth.

‘It’s almost like… you’re drunk?’ Keith blew a raspberry and shook his head but stopped with the room swayed dangerously.

‘No way…’ he immediately denied. ‘Werewolves metatabolinise fast, can’t get… drunk. Ever. Trust me, I’ve tried.’ Lance snorted.

‘Metatabolinise? Huh?’ Keith frowned briefly, before nodding his head. Lance chuckled warmly. ‘Come on, let’s get you to bed.’ Keith perked up with an interested hum. Bed? With Lance? Yes puh’lease. ‘Mind out of the gutter horn dog, you, are going to sleep this off and hopefully you’ll have sweated it out by the time you wake up.’

‘Nooo, I don’t wanna… I can see you now.’ His voice wobbled pathetically at the end and Lance amusement melted to something fond and understanding. ‘Don’t want to close my eyes and miss another moment… you are so _so_ pretty and I don’t want to stop looking at you.’

‘Oh.’ Lance’s sucked in a small breath and the resulting smile was so bashful and sweet that Keith felt like he could float. ‘Aren’t you just so sweet.’ Lance cooed, before he smiled devilishly. Then Keith’s world tilted completely when Lance swept his legs out from under him, picking him up like it was just that easy.

He blinked owlishly at Lance who was grinning winningly down at him, no strain on his face at all.

‘Wha…?’ Keith started to ask.

‘When you’re back to normal I’ll explain everything, but let’s just say this body has a few perks to it.’ And then he started climbing the stairs, bringing Keith to their room.

‘S’hot.’ Keith slurred when the shock wore off and he realised just how hot it was that Lance could effortlessly carry him around like this. He smirked up at Lance. ‘Really hot… you’re so hot, and pretty, and… hot.’

Lance laughed – and he had such a nice warm laugh, the kind that made you smile along – and gently shouldered his way into their room. He rested one knee on the bed and gently lowered Keith down and when he tried to pull away he found he couldn’t on account of the fact that Keith still had his arms wrapped firmly around Lance’s neck.

‘Stay.’ Keith whined, and with a soft smile Lance leant down, pressed a soft lingering kiss against his lips and climbed fully onto the bed. Keith pulled him flush against his side and buried his nose in Lance’s soft fluffy hair and groaned, and when Lance wrapped an arm around Keith’s waist and tangle his legs with Keith’s, he wondered what he had done to deserve this.

Tears filled his eyes and he sniffled, feeling suddenly quite overwhelmed and emotional.

Lance peered up at him with a frown and when he saw the tears leaking out of the corner of Keith’s eyes his eyes widened and he sat up, hovering over Keith with a worried expression.

‘What’s wrong? Does it hurt?’ He asked, panic leaking into his voice as he ran gentle fingers over Keith.

‘I’m… so lucky.’ Keith stuttered. Lance stopped searching and met Keith’s sincere gaze and then he sighed with a small smile and Keith wanted to kiss those lips more, but his arms felt sluggish and his head was getting really foggy now.

‘Geez Keith,’ Lance chuckled, ‘I didn’t realise you could be such a sap.’ Lance dropped his forehead against Keith’s and the warmth in his expression made something unfurl in his chest, spreading out to every single part of him, and the discomfort of the venom still burning through him faded into the background. ‘I’m the lucky one.’ He whispered just as he tilted his head to capture Keith’s lips in a soft lingering kiss. ‘Now sleep okay, I’ll be here when you wake up.’ 

And as if he couldn’t resist the command he slipped into a deep sleep wrapped up in Lance.

It wasn’t until the next morning that Keith shot up in bed and blinked at the opposite wall blankly, he smacked his lips to dispel that fuzzy feeling in his mouth and rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his hand.

He was sure the venom had run it’s course by now, and he grimaced as his damp top clung to his back from how much he’d sweated throughout the night, he pulled at it, dragging it up and over his head before throwing it to the side carelessly.

He frowned as yesterday’s event came to him in snippets, hazy and feverish, but one thing stood out clearly in his venom drunk mind and that was blue eyes. He sat up straight with wide eyes. Lance! He quickly looked over to Lance’s side of the bed and his breath stuttered in his chest.

Lance sat reclined against the headboard, a book face down on his lap and he was grinning impishly at Keith as if he had been waiting for Keith to notice him. And he looked just as beautiful as he did in his hazy memories of last night. Right now, his hair was mussed, as if he had been lying down just recently.

He reached out and cupped the side of Lance’s face, Lance glanced at Keith’s hand briefly before closing his eyes and nuzzling into the touch with a hum. Touch. He was touching Lance, smooth skin, a direct contrast to his rough skin he’d earned after years of handling a sword before he’d reached maturity.

‘You feeling better?’ Lance asked, opening his eyes enough so slivers of blue peeked through his eyelashes.

‘Yeah.’ His voice was raspy from how dry his throat was, he cleared it before he continued. ‘H-how?’ For lack of anything better to say, he was too dazed to come up with anything more intelligible.

He was touching Lance… and he was so pretty.

Lance pulled away from Keith’s hand and before he could smother it, a whined crawled up his throat and escaped through his lips before he could seal them shut. Lance stopped, glanced at Keith before smiling widely.

‘Good to know you’re just as cute when you’re not drunk off monster venom.’ He felt his face heat up and he glanced away with a pout before deciding he’d much rather be looking at Lance so even though he was embarrassed, he turned back to Lance and marvelled at the little dimples at the corners of his wide smile.

‘Lance… how can I see and feel you right now?’ He prompted again, moving closer and punctuating this by dropping his hand down over Lance’s and wrapping his fingers around Lance’s. Lance shifted his hand to tangle their fingers together and Keith sighed. 

How did he think he could possibly be content with never being able to hold Lance?

With his other hand Lance brushed his fingers against a choker that Keith hadn’t spotted until now, fit snugly around his slim throat with an iridescent blue gem that sat just over the dip at the base of his throat. He frowned incomprehensively at it before lifting a confused gaze at Lance.

‘Allura gave it to me.’ Lance said. And Keith’s frowned deepened.

‘Wait, what? When did you see Allura?’

‘Yesterday, we found her in the kitchen, trying to bake…’ He made a face. ‘…something.’ He then shrugged dismissively. ‘She gave me this as a gift, she said she had it made when she first foresaw my death like a really long time ago. It was made in the Fae world with Fae magic, basically it forces my spirit into the corporeal plane but I since I couldn’t exist in this plane as I was, the magic in the choker created a way for me to exist, in this case it created a body for me.’ He smiled coyly. ‘It did an pretty good job, don’t you think?’

Keith looked over Lance’s body with an appreciative hum. Werewolves had always been wary of magic, the smell of it was so many unidentifiable scents mixed together that it often just made their noses itch and made it hard to scent other things and since they relied quite heavily on scents it could be disorienting. Keith was less bothered by it then other werewolves due to the nature of his upbringing.

His birth pack had differed to other werewolf packs, though the knowledge of their unique ability had died when his pack… his family had been slayed…

In this case, Keith was very grateful for whatever magic Allura had weaved to bring about this miracle… wait! His gaze fixed on the collar and Keith began to frown.

Allura had something like this all along? Why the hell did she wait until now to give it to Lance… unless she really was torturing him. A blinding flash of rage erupted in his chest and he was close to spilling a growl when he got distracted by a peck to his downturned lips. He glanced up to find Lance, head tilted down to line up with Keith’s intense stare and smiled when their gazes met.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Allura had something like this lying around and she only now brings it out, she keeps messing with me and I –’ Lance interrupts him with a firmer kiss and when he pulled away, Keith thoroughly distracted from his frustration, tried to follow.

‘I get the impression that Allura has a lot going on,’ Lance offered with that diplomatic tone he’d heard from Shiro, ‘and I’m sure that things played out the way they did because this was future that had the best outcome for us and I don’t know about you, but corporeal or not, meeting you was one of the best things to happen to me in a really long time.’

Unable to stop himself he darted forwards, tilting his chin up to capture Lance’s lips, and he could see that this was going to be a problem because how could he be expected to get anything done if all he ever wanted to do was kiss Lance. Lance hummed against his lips.

‘Dios mio, I’m gonna love that you can just kiss and touch me whenever you want. That I can stop thinking to just feel you and not worry about falling into you… and not in the fun way.’ Keith snorted even as he crowded Lance, pushing him down into the pillows with kisses to hover over him. Lance made a satisfied sound in the back of his throat and pulled Keith closer until they were chest to chest, legs tangling together as Lance angled his hips to slot easily against his.

But as they grew more heated Keith was beginning to realise something, each brush of his hips as he ground down over Lance, expecting to meet an answering hardness but it wasn’t until he was trailing his hands over him that the problem bacame more obvious.

He separated their mouths, eliciting a breathy whine from Lance who was making grabby hands at him as Keith retreated to look down the length of Lance’s body.

He swallowed nervously. ‘You’re not hard.’ He pointed out and Lance’s eyes widened before embarrassment swept across his face and he averted his gaze.

‘Uh… yeah.’ He shimmied out from under Keith to sit up against the headboard. Keith sat back with a frown watching the small shifts in Lance’s face as he thought about his words. And then he grabbed at Keith’s hand and pulled it to lay it flat against his chest. They sat still, Keith was holding his breath waiting to feel whatever it was that Lance was trying to show him but the only thing he noticed was how still Lance’s chest was.

Too still.

He looked up at Lance with a sharp jerk of his head only to find Lance smiling a little sadly.

‘I’m still dead Keith, the magic created a shell to protect me from the pressure of the physical plane, but that’s all it is. I can’t perceive temperatures, or individual textures… or pleasure, or rather I do feel pleasure, just not in the physical way, if that makes any sense.’ Lance’s brows draw together in the middle as he peers up at Keith from under his lashes looking a little apologetic, though he doesn’t understand why, Lance had nothing to be sorry for.

‘I can hold back, if you’re not enjoying it, I don’t want to use you like that if you get nothing out of it.’ Keith assured gently and Lance’s eyes shoot wide open in horror.

‘No, no, no, no!’ Lance’s hands darted forward to cup Keith’s face, squishing his cheeks together forcing his lips to form a small pout. ‘None of that. Everything we’ve done up until now has been one hundred percent mutual, I may not feel pleasure in the same way you do but I definitely get something out of it.’ He grinned languidly at Keith. ‘Watching you come apart, getting off on the sound of my voice… it’s hard to explain but it kind of feels like fireworks going off in my chest where my heart should be, it feels good, like, _really good_.’ He leant forwards and placed a small kiss on Keith pursed lips.

‘And,’ Lance added with a sly smile, ‘I’m very eager to explore what I can do with this body.’

And it turned out Lance could do a lot with his new body, like pick him up as if he weighed nothing to dump him on his side of the bed and straddle his hips, legs slotting perfectly on either side of him as he ground his hips down and against Keith with a slow roll that had Keith’s head falling back with a groan.

‘I mean there are limitations of course,’ Lance continued on casually as if he wasn’t slowly ripping away at his self-control, another slow grind sending a full blown tremble throughout his body, he swallowed nervously, ‘but just because I can’t fuck you I’m sure I’m creative enough to find some way to get inside you or,’ and another slow grind and Keith was gripping Lance’s hips with enough force he was sure it would have left bruises if Lance could bruise. ‘you could fuck me instead.’ Keith groaned, Lance’s smile widening gleefully. ‘Would you like that my wolf? Like for me to present my ass and let you mount me like I know you’ve been wanting to do.’

The imagery proved too much and Keith’s breath hitched as he came under Lance’s rocking hips, his body curling in on itself as he fought through the wave of his orgasm. Mercifully, Lance stopped his slow grind and stared down at Keith with blown eyes and a pleased smile playing on his lips.

‘Ohh… you really liked that, huh?’ He came down over Keith and pressed their chests together, lips hovering an inch above his and Keith was struck by the sheer intensity in Lance’s blue eyes. ‘I really want it Keith, I want you to take pleasure from my body so don’t go thinking I’m just letting you use me because I want to please you, this is entirely selfish, I want to sear the sight of you into my mind as you claim the deepest parts of me, to see the pleasure tear you apart, knowing that it’s all… because… of me.’ He punctuated the words with light teasing kisses before Keith threw what remained of his control out the window.

He used his leg to swing them both so that Lance was now on his back, Keith mouthed at his neck, thinking about how this spot , where the column of Lance slim neck met his shoulder, would make the perfect spot for his claiming bite. His mouth practically salivated at the thought but… the body wasn’t real; the bond wouldn’t take.

He kissed the spot gently and lifted his head to meet Lance’s smiling gaze, he returned it softly, lowering again to kiss Lance, who eagerly met him half way but the heat had passed to give way for something tender and Keith settled, mouth moving languidly against Lance’s.

They may or may not have stayed in bed for the rest of the day, lazily making out, cuddling, talking… exploring… (And Lance was just as talented at making him fall apart with his fingers and his tongue as he was with just his words.)

The next day, after a lengthy soak in the bath together (and Lance was very keen to show how useful it was that he didn’t need to breath… it was extremely useful), they finally emerged.

To find Shiro hunched over the table, painstakingly trying to superglue the shattered plate together.

‘What are you doing?’ Keith asked. Shiro’s brow twitched, even as he daintily picked up another piece and pressed it into the reforming plate, glue squeezed out between the gap where he had obviously used too much.

‘I’m happy for you two, really I am, but the fucking artefact Keith, don’t drop the thing, I said, and what did you do… you dropped the thing.’ Keith winced, oh yeah, that had happened hadn’t it.

‘Ah… sorry.. but to be fair, I was heavily poisoned and my mate… I mean have you seen him, you’d drop your plate too if you saw Adam for the first time.’ Keith offered in defence. And then Lance leant around him and glanced at the plate.

‘Not to make you feel like you’ve wasted your time because you’re doing a great job Shiro but I think Allura sent you on this mission just to get Keith out of the house, wanted him to be surprised when he got back, that,’ Lance pointed with an apologetic look, ‘is just a fancy plate.’

Shiro looked down at the half plat with a frown.

‘But it was being guarded by a Chimera.’ He argued weakly. Lance shrugged.

‘Maybe it really liked the fancy plate.’ Lance suggested cheerfully. ‘But if you’re really set on fixing it then let me, after all, it was kind of my fault, in an indirect sort of way.’ Lance skipped over to the table, looked down at the shattered plate with a thoughtful expression before nodding and weaving his hand through the air.

The air around them began to kick up into a gentle breeze, swiping all the pieces up into the air and snatching the half-fixed piece from Shiro’s hand who let it go with a small sound of surprise. The pieces began to spin faster and faster, a tiny vortex forming above Lance’s head moving so fast that it was hard to see.

But when it started to slow into a lazy spin, they found themselves looking at the whole, unbroken, plate. Shiro stood up and with a smile Lance guided the plate towards him and Shiro picked it out of the air.

Lance took a step back and turned to Keith, intent on returning to his side and Keith’s breath caught when he saw Lance’s eyes. They were alight, the irises an eery ice blue, that was slowly bleeding back into their deep blue shade.

‘You…’ Keith started to say, not really sure what it was he wanted to say or ask. ‘…are beautiful.’ He finished. Lance’s smile softened to something bashful and he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, looking endearingly touched.

‘Babe…’ He whined as he slid up to Keith and tucked himself against his chest, settling his arms around Keith’s waist and tucking his face into his throat. Keith laughed and wrapped Lance up in a big hug.

‘You still have your powers.’ Keith stated.

‘Yeah, thankfully. Having a body is great because I can do things like this,’ He squeezed Keith a bit harder, ‘but I’ll miss being able to float places, and travel through walls, do you know how many doors I’ve walked into because I forget, it was actually a relief to realise I still had my powers, they’ve become – and I know it might sound strange – a comfort to me, a lot of the time when I found myself drifting listlessly through the house the power pulled me back, I’m convinced that without it I would have…’ Lance trailed off, he didn’t need to explain, Keith understood. His hug grew firmer, and he breathed Lance in to remind himself that none of that happened, that Lance was right here, and he was real.

‘It’s protecting you,’ Keith started to explain, thinking back on what Pidge had been saying before. ‘The magic… Pidge said that it felt like… a mother’s love.’ Lance pulled back to look up at Keith quizzically.

‘A mother’s love?’ Lance frowned as he said the words slowly, as if they were foreign. Then his eyes went unfocused, as if he was remembering something before he blinked back to the present. ‘What does that mean?’

‘I’m no expert on magic.’ Shiro interrupted, when Keith shrugged helplessly, Lance turned to look at Shiro and Keith looked over Lance’s shoulder. Shiro was leaning against the table, ankles and arms crossed as he smiled over at them both. ‘But Adam used to like to ramble about it when anyone ever called him a witch by mistake.’ Oh yeah, Keith thought, Adam hated that. ‘Magic responds to strong emotions and strong personalities, something about it making your quintessence rich.’

‘What’s quintessence?’ Lance asked.

‘Uhh… a soul would be the simplest name for it, but it’s your core essence, your life force, witches and Soceri have naturally strong levels of quintessence and for that reason they can manipulate the worlds natural magics. But sometimes mortals exhibit signs of a strong quintessence too, either you had a witch in the family somewhere or you’re special.’

‘He is special.’ The words slipped out of his mouth before he could apply his filter – not that he had one when Lance was present. But when Lance shot him an overly fond expression, he decided it was fine, he’d be all kinds of soft if Lance kept looking at him like that. Shiro laughed quietly.

‘I never thought I’d see the day.’ Shiro murmured under his breath but not quiet enough that Keith couldn’t hear him. He scowled at Shiro, ignoring the heat on his face.

‘I’m not arguing that,’ Shiro continued, ‘ghost are the life force that lingers after death and given that you are pure quintessence the magic was able to interact with you more directly, the magic that has probably watched over you since you were born chose to tie itself to you… but of course that’s just a theory and I’m no expert.’

Lance hummed thoughtfully right before his face scrunched up, in what appeared to be pain but before Keith could leap in to help, his face smoothed over and he turned to Keith with a smirk.

‘It likes me, huh? Not surprising, I mean, have you met me, I’m great.’ Lance said, fanning out his hand over his chest and smiling down his nose at Keith.

He watched Lance with an arched brow before deciding that yeah, he was smitten if he thought that smug expression was cute rather than annoying. Besides, he could smell the hidden insecurity under the deflecting humour.

‘That’s true,’ Keith sighed, letting as much sincerity as he felt leak into his voice, ‘it’s hard to resist.’

‘R-right!’ Lance stumbled over his words and glanced away bashfully, Keith smiled his own little smug smile when Lance peeked back, he could just imagine the blush spreading across Lance’s face if he were able to blush.

‘Cute.’ Shiro cooed. He shrugged on his jacket and picked up the plate. ‘Thanks for this Lance.’ He said waving the plate lightly. ‘I’m going to drop it off at the Fae Domain before Keith can break it again.’

‘Fuck off!’

Shiro laughed his way out through the door and it wasn’t until the front door clicked open and closed that Keith took a deep breath and turned to Lance who was frowning.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Is it weird to miss something I don’t remember?’ Lance asked, looking down-hearted.

‘Not at all.’

‘When I see you and Shiro together it reminds me that I had siblings once and I start to wonder… but they probably forgot me too so…’ He trailed off with a little shrug.

‘I doubt it, I don’t think there’s a person that has ever met you that’s been able to forget you.’ He took hold of Lance’s hands and pulled him closer, close enough to drop a kiss on his forehead. He frowned. ‘We’re entering the first quarter of the moon cycle.’ Keith mumbled. Lance looked up, he had to because Keith had shot up an inch or two since this morning.

‘Huh?’

‘The Moon cycle, it’ll be the full moon soon.’ And Keith is pretty sure he isn’t over what happened during the last one. Lance seemed to understand, worrying his lower lip even as he tucked himself up against Keith, flattening his ear against his chest, right over his heart.

‘Who knows,’ Lance said, with a false cheeriness in his voice. ‘maybe while I’m like this my cycle won’t continue and you can actually enjoy the full moon.’ He pulled back to look up at Keith. ‘What do you even do during a full moon anyway?’

‘At the full moon our beasts are at their strongest, they take control and from there it’s all instinct, normally I just like to run for miles, sometimes I’ll start a few fights with other werewolves to let off some aggression.’ He hummed thoughtfully. ‘But I’ve never spent the full moon with a mate before.’

‘And what happens during a full moon when you have a mate?’ Lance asked. Keith looked down with a smirk.

‘A lot of fucking.’ He snickered at the wide-eyed look on Lance’s face. But now that Keith was thinking about it, his wolf had stirred to approve that plan with a very strong wave of hungering lust that was so potent that Keith almost pounced right there and then.

Ok, so his wolf was all for that except…

_We can’t do that… mortals break easily._

**_Not mortal, our mate is strong._ **

_Stop being dumb for two seconds Lance can’t even feel pleasure he wouldn’t want –_

‘We should stock up on lots of lube.’ Lance interrupted his internal argument as casually as someone saying they needed to pop to shop and buy some milk. He was tapping his chin thoughtfully. ‘I don’t feel pain so I could probably take you raw but I’ve seen how big you get, and an easy glide will be much nicer for the both of us,’ He stopped, tapped his chin once before nodding his head resolutely. ‘I should also do some stretches in preparation, that way I can be nice and limber for you.’ And with a wide smile Lance turned away and started towards the kitchen. ‘But you must be hungry.’ Lance said, he looked over his shoulder and his smirk was infuriatingly smug. ‘Now pick your chin up off the ground mi amor and let me take care of my man during his moon period.’

**_Perfect._ **

_…Yeah._

‘M-moon period!?’ He snapped with a crack in his voice that had Lance chuckling. ‘You’ve been talking to Hunk, haven’t you?’ Lance didn’t answer just laughed his way to the kitchen and like a helpless fool in love – yes… in love, how could he not be? – he followed the sound of Lance’s laugh like it was a siren’s call. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!! <3


	12. Chapter Eleven - Should Have Just Stayed In Tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your lovely and supportive messages, I make sure to reread them often to keep me motivated. 🥰🥰  
> Sorry this took so long, I've been working on my art recently and taking some mental breaks here and there, but I finally got it done!! 🎉

So… he was screwed.

Keith was going to have an aneurysm once he found out and he hated that he was going to have to put Keith through this again.

The situation may be different but either way Lance was missing again.

He stumbled over his own foot when he was shoved in the small of his back by something pointy, it didn’t hurt but still… it was rude.

‘Would you stop that!’ He snapped over his shoulder, he couldn’t see his kidnapper on account of the bag that was over his head, which by the way, bag hair was not a good look on him. His complaint was followed by another quick jab. ‘For the love of… you do realise it’s dumb to have the prisoner leading the way right, not only can’t I see, but I also have no idea where we’re going so how about instead of poking me in the pack like an idiot you just tie my hands in front of me and lead me with a rope… it would be so much more efficient.’

‘Will you tase him into unconsciousness already.’ Someone snapped gruffly, clearly beginning to get frustrated with him. Well good, el cabrón had kidnapped him, so screw him! The person at his back jerked and something was jabbed at his back again, only this time it was held there.

‘Uhh?’ Lance frowned over his shoulder at his man-handler ‘Are you trying to feel me up?’ He drawled, unimpressed. ‘Because you should know I am a taken man.’ The press turned into a sharp jab and Lance stumbled forwards.

‘It’s not working.’

‘What do you mean it’s not working?!’ Lance was beginning to get a feel for who was the leader of this little snatching party. ‘Haggar made it, she’s an expert on every immortal that exists, she assured us it would work, you must be using it wrong.’ He heard some stomps, a crunch of a twig and then someone made a disgruntled sound before Lance is being jabbed in the back again. He gritted his teeth.

‘See, it doesn’t work.’

Should Lance tell them?

‘Then you’ve broken it.’ The leader snapped.

‘I haven’t…’ There was a lengthy pause, followed by a meeker, ‘but, you know, if I did, don’t tell Haggar, she’ll put me on the table again.’

No. Lance doesn’t think he will tell them.

‘It would serve you right.’

‘Look, last time we were catching a Wendigo, those things are vicious, I can’t be blamed if the taser slipped out of my grasp and smashed… she knows what we’re dealing with, she should have made it sturdier.’

‘Just don’t drop it, you idiot.’

‘Tch. What even is he anyway?’

‘Don’t know, but Nyma promised he was something different, and you know how much Haggar likes to study new specimens.’

He sighed… perhaps he should go back a back a bit and explain how he’d ended up in this situation.

*** 

It was a rare moment when Lance wasn’t glued to Keith’s side and he was chilling with Pidge in the front room playing some video games. Now that the controller wasn’t slipping through his hands every few minutes, these games were actually pretty fun, until Pidge brought it up.

‘Have you gone out yet?’ She asked, her tone distracted as she aimed a finisher move at his character, that Lance dodged at the last second – did he mention he was actually pretty good at these games much to Pidge’s annoyance.

‘Huh?’ He looked away from the screen, he heard the sound of defeat from the screen where Pidge had taken advantage of his distraction. She put her controller down and drank from her capri-sun until the pouch was empty, before readdressing her question.

‘Now that you have a physical form you shouldn’t be tethered to the house; you can leave if you want.’ He frowned.

‘Why would I want to?’ He asked, immediately thinking of Keith and the thought of leaving him, was Pidge implying he leave Keith.

‘You’ve been trapped in the house for almost fifty years, don’t you want to see how the world has changed?’ Oh. Without answering, he got up and walked to the window, he pushed the curtain aside and peered out towards the gate. And though he couldn’t see them, he knew they were there, waiting, always waiting.

‘You know they can’t touch you in the physical plane, you’re safe from them.’ Pidge offered, coming up to stand by his side.

‘I was never trapped in the house; I could have left at any time.’ He admitted. ‘A ghost doesn’t get tethered to a location, but in a world that’s cold and empty, can we be blamed for sticking with what feels familiar and safe.’ He bit his lip. ‘I think I left once, a long time ago when I first woke up like this, the memory’s foggy but I do remember the feel of their cold grip around my legs, trying to pull me down, to either join them or be consumed by them, I’m not sure what they wanted from me. I don’t need to breathe but it felt like I was suffocating.’

‘You escaped them though.’ Pidge reminded him.

‘Yeah, probably at the expense of a few treasured memories and an all new fear of the outside world.’ He chuckled humourlessly. ‘It felt safer to just stay inside the house from then on.’

‘Well you don’t have to worry about that now, the wraiths can’t get you and I really want to take you to the Bar.’

‘The Bar?’ 

‘It’s the place where we first met, Hunk owns and runs it.’ Lance perked up, they’d already told him this story but that was an idea, it would be interesting to see other immortals and… he looked out through the window and how bright and warm it looked, the sun was high in the sky and if he opened the window now Lance was sure he’d hear the steady clicks of the Cicadas.

He... wanted to go outside. He’d been putting it off, telling himself that he was content with always remaining inside, but Pidge was right, he wasn’t a ghost anymore, he could just go out. He could walk along the shore, hand in hand with Keith, the foamy water rushing over their bare feet. He could sit in the garden and read, he could go into town, he could… there was a world of possibilities that he hadn’t stopped to think about since starting his second life.

‘What’s going on?’

Lance looked over his shoulder and immediately melted into a puddle of affection, which was the norm these days when ever Keith was near. He pushed away from the window and skipped over to Keith, who smiled warmly and opened his arms for Lance. He fell into them and nuzzled his cheek against Keith’s firm chest. He let himself enjoy the rumble of Keith’s warm chuckle and the strong steady hands smoothing over his back before pulling away enough so that he could peer up at Keith.

‘We were just talking about going outside now that I’m… you know.’

Keith’s eyes widened as if just realising something and then he looked troubled.

‘I didn’t even think of that.’ Keith groaned. ‘Lance I’m so sorry, that’s definitely something we should have done before now.’

‘It’s ok Keith, I didn’t think of it either and besides,’ a smirk crawled across his face and he waggled his brows suggestively, ‘I’m certainly not complaining about how we’ve been spending our time together.’ He slid his palms up over Keith’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around his neck to pull him down. Keith went easily, smiling knowingly, his gaze heated as it dropped down to Lance’s mouth briefly.

He tip-toed to brush his lips against Keith’s softly, Keith hummed warmly about to press in when…

‘Can you two stop humping for like two minutes, it’s like the moment you see each other everyone ceases to exist.’ Pidge complained, Lance could practically hear the grimace in her voice, and shared a secret smile with Keith before meeting for one more peck and pulling away to face Pidge with twin expressions of apology.

‘Sorry Pidge.’ Keith offered sheepishly. ‘Werewolves are very… uh… touchy when it comes to their mates, sometimes I literally can’t help it.’ Even now he’s got an arm wrapped around Lance’s waist and big hand sitting lightly on Lance’s hip.

‘I can’t believe you’re the same Keith, you used to growl at anyone that violated your personal bubble.’

‘And I probably still will, Lance is the exception to that rule.’

‘Ok, and what’s your excuse,’ She aimed at Lance, ‘because I definitely saw you unbuttoning Keith’s trousers last night during movie night while he chewed on your neck, right before I doused you both in soda.’ Lance laughed guiltily, glancing away with a half shrug.

‘He’s ridiculously hot, and I’m no saint Pidge, do you really expect me to resist all this when it’s right in front of me. Impossible.’

‘When in company, yes! I can confidently say that no one wants to see you two doofus’ getting your jolly’s off.’

‘Well, we’re two attractive dudes, I’m sure there are plenty of people who’d love—’

‘Lance!’

‘Sorry, you’re absolutely right Pidge, we’ll take our shenanigans to another room when the urge hits.’

‘That would be appreciated.’ 

‘What if that’s all the time?’ Keith asked in an almost innocent manner.

Lance snorted just as Pidge whined into her hand.

‘You guys are hopeless and you’re absolutely perfect for each other.’

Keith was shaking with silent laughter and Pidge huffed loudly once in annoyance before redirecting the train wreck of a conversation.

‘So, Lance going out, yay or nay?’ She asked Keith whose chuckles slowed to stop; he gave her a strange look. 

‘Why are you asking me? Lance doesn’t need my permission to go out if that’s what he wants.’

‘And… I want to… for a little bit, maybe we can go see Hunk at work. And if that works maybe we can take a stroll along the beach together.’ He turned to Keith who nodded with a smile.

‘That sounds perfect.’

And getting Lance to move from the shadow of the porch out into the sunlight was a task, but now Lance stood frozen in front of the gate, knowing the Wraiths were just on the other side, they couldn’t touch him where he was but that didn’t change the fact that Lance would always know they were there.

‘It’s ok if you want to change you’re mind, we can try again another time.’ Keith reassured him. And they’d been so patient with him already, from waiting for him to get ready which might have taken an absurd amount of time, because Lance wanted to look his best going out for the first time, to coaxing him off the porch and for not teasing him when he kept changing his mind all the way up the drive.

And even now, as he stared down the gate, they waited patiently, with quiet assurances and gentle coaxing. He wanted to make them proud and he didn’t want to be weighed down by this fear anymore, so, he swallowed down the ball of anxiety that had wedged itself in his throat and nodded resolutely.

‘Let’s go.’ He said and with an encouraging grin, Keith opened the gates.

When nothing happened, Lance let out a long breath of relief and stepped through the gate, again nothing happened but he did startle when the gate clanged closed behind him and a spike of panic rose up at the thought of being locked out.

What if they attack and Lance can’t get back behind the gates in time?

A warm familiar hand wrapped around his clenched fist and Lance looked up at Keith. Gentle fingers touched his face and a palm cupped his cheek and Lance helplessly leaned into the touch gratefully. He loosened his fist and threaded his fingers through Keith’s.

‘Sorry, I’m good, let’s go.’

‘You don’t have to rush this, this is a big step already, if you want to try again tomorrow, that’s ok.’ Keith said, tilting Lance’s face up to meet his sincere gaze.

‘I know but if I’m given time to think about it too much I’ll end up talking myself out of it, it needs to be now, or I’ll never do it.’ Keith watched him for a moment longer before sighing and nodding.. He pulled back but he didn’t relinquish his hold on Lance’s hand.

‘Alright, but don’t push yourself too much, I’m proud of what you’ve done already.’

A warm fuzzy feeling settled in his chest and Lance smiled bashfully at the side of Keith’s face.

_I love you so much._ He wanted to say. ‘Ok, I’m ready.’ He said instead, but judging by the soft look in Keith’s gaze, he might have understood, maybe the words he so desperately wanted to say were written all over his face, he wouldn’t be surprised if they were with how strongly he felt them.

They headed off in what he assumed was the direction of the Bar and in reality the bar was not that far at all from the manor but Lance was in awe and the further they get from the house and still nothing was grabbing at his legs to drag him into the unforgiving void, the more confident he got.

Keith allowed himself to be dragged along every time Lance excitedly pointed out something new, Pidge not bothering to try and keep up and instead took her own time getting to the bar. But he just couldn’t help it, Havana looked so new and so familiar all at the same time, snippets of memories flooded in and out as he compared the now with then, like the paint chipped and faded colours on the buildings that lined the narrow streets which he was sure in his time had been freshly applied, looking far more vibrant and strong.

He marvelled at the sounds and the sights, nostalgia like a film over his memories making him a little homesick for a city that had clearly moved on without him.

He stopped and Keith turned, halted by Lance’s grip on his hand and titled his head inquisitively, but Lance just smiled and closed his eyes.

A scooter zipped past, it’s high rumbling sound washing over him, reminding him of the vespa he’d gotten for his seventeenth birthday, the sound bringing up images of flying through the city, high on life with his… with someone close to him he thinks, clinging to his back, laughter lost in the traffic.

He heard old men sitting outside of an open-air café, shouting over each other in an amicable debate, their radio churning away football commentary in the background. He wondered briefly if he had known some of these old men in their youth. He tried not to think about it too hard. 

He heard the general drone of chatter, a mixture of languages as tourists milled around the streets in pairs, or families. Over that, he heard the thrum of traffic, the honk of a car, a bark of laughter, some fast-paced music.

And though it sounded busy, it brought Lance a measure of peace.

This sounded like home.

He opens his eyes to find Keith staring at him with open affection and though he looked a little confused he didn’t question it, he squeezes Keith’s fingers and smiles widely, pulling himself close and tucking himself into Keith’s side easily as if he were made to be there.

At a more leisurely pace they walk to the bar, Pidge having already gone ahead, something about being allergic to their sap, which was fine by Lance, he was always down for some alone time with his man.

The bar entrance wasn’t at all obvious, tucked far down a narrow alley way with no signs, but he supposed it wasn’t a place for mortals so why have it advertised so blatantly. Though Lance did wonder how he’d stumbled into in the first place, it worried him a bit that he‘d been stumbling around dark alleys in the night, alone.

How the hell had he not wound up dead from sheer drunken stupidity before being killed in the one place he was supposed to be safe in?

At first glance, it’s not anything at all like what he had expected it, it was dimly lit but in a classy way, the way that offered privacy for its patrons, the clean shiny bar stretched across the far wall, with a door that probably lead to the kitchen. Across the wall was a vast collection of drinks, some that Lance had never even heard of before.

‘Mortal alcohol is weak, so Hunk makes, and stocks specially made stuff to suit every taste, a lot of the stuff on that wall would probably kill a mortal.’ Keith explained when Lance asked. ‘Not that it matters, a werewolf’s metabolism is so ridiculously fast there isn’t an alcohol that exists that could get me drunk.’ He added with a pout. 

‘Chimera venom works well.’ Lance teased with a quirked brow and a playful smirk. Keith chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.

‘I’ll let Hunk know to add venom to my drinks from now on.’

Laughing, Lance looked past Keith to lock eyes with a patron, his eyes widened when he saw her flowing hair alight above her head, she was draped across the coils of a very relaxed looking man, his top half was entirely human looking, aside from the scales scattered across his jaw line and under his eyes, dressed in a tight leather vest that did nothing to hide how ripped he was, her fingers were trailing across his exposed chest and her other hand was lost amongst his coils, but judging by the way the snake-man’s hips were subtly jerking, it was quite obvious what they were up to.

She winked at him and with a an amused grin, Lance pushed himself further into Keith’s side, Keith’s arm automatically tightening around Lance’s shoulder in response, and he glided his hand up to rest lightly against Keith’s broad chest, before winking back at her.

She looked up at Keith before darting her gaze back to Lance with a suitably impressed look, she inclined her head and went back to pleasuring her partner.

He looked away and instead swept over the room with his gaze, seeing more and more impressive beings, a winged man hunched over a whisky glass and flicking through his phone, a gigantesque woman sitting amongst a group of smaller woman, all leaning in, whispering before they’re all rearing back in peels of giggles.

A fairy fluttered past them as they walk towards the bar, effortlessly carrying a bag so much bigger than them, towards a room labelled portals and a sign that read ‘Been drinking? Take a teleport buddy, please use the portals responsibly!’

When they reach the bar, Keith pulled out a stool for Lance, and he makes a show of being flattered by his gentlemanly manners to which Keith just rolled his eyes with a fond smile.

‘See, they’re insufferable.’ He heard Pidge moan. Lance looked away from Keith to see Hunk standing behind the bar with a patient smile, wiping his hands with a cloth.

‘I think it’s cute.’ Hunk answered. ‘Hey Lance! You’re here.’

‘I am!’

‘Man, I’m so happy, it’s almost like old times, except all my friends are all in the same room.’ He beamed proudly at them all. ‘Keith, I’ve already got your pre-moon food on the go, should be ready soon.’

‘Thanks Hunk.’ Keith took the seat to Lance’s left, putting him in the middle between him and Pidge, and as if he couldn’t help himself he reached out and took Lance’s hand in his, they shared a soft look before Hunk struck up a conversation with Lance.

All the while Keith ran his thumb over the backs of Lance’s fingers.

Everything was perfect.

Into the evening after Keith had polished off several plates of meat and chugged down two mugs of beer, he got a call from Shiro, he took the call and his eyes widened, he half stood before grimacing and turning to look at Lance with an apologetic look.

‘What’s wrong?’ Lance asked, worry curling in his gut.

‘Shiro’s got lead on Adam, he wants me to go with him. After the last time he followed a lead alone, I made him promise to always take someone with him but…’ He looked torn.

‘Don’t be stupid, Keith, Shiro needs you so go, I’ll be fine, Hunk can walk me home after his shift.’ He urged; Keith looked to Hunk who nodded quickly in agreement.

‘Lance will be safe with me.’ He promised.

‘Ok…ok.’ Keith gathered his jacket, slipping it on with a tight expression.

‘Hey,’ Lance hopped off his stool and pressed himself against Keith’s front, wrapping his arms around Keith neck to pull him down to his level, ‘everything is going to be ok, keep yourself and Shiro safe and I hope this isn’t another false lead.’

‘I really hope so too, I don’t think I can stand to see Shiro fall apart again.’ He dropped his forehead against Lance’s and sighed. ‘Gods, Lance, I…’ Keith paused, bit his lip and made a desperate pained sound that Lance felt. ‘I’m so freaking lucky to have you, you’re amazing.’

Lance shook his head.

‘I’m the lucky one here.’ He argued. ‘Now go, Shiro’s waiting.’

Keith ducked his head and pressed his mouth roughly against Lance’s in a deep lingering kiss, it was with a guttural groan he pulled away, except Lance wasn’t done and pulled him in for one more before pushing Keith away with a warm smile.

‘See you when you get home.’ He murmured. One lasting look was shared between them, so much still unsaid, before Keith turned and stalked from the bar, the door slamming behind him.

Lance turned back to the bar with a sad little pout and worry in his gut. In the late nights when they’d been curled together under the blankets, talking, getting to know each other, Keith had told him how he worried for Shiro, it had been staggering how many false leads Shiro had followed since Adam’s disappearance. There had been such a harrowing sadness in Keith’s gaze when he’d explained how each dead end had affected Shiro, the quiet heartbreak as another part of Shiro broke away the longer he and Adam were separated.

It was overwhelming to think how much sway he had over Keith as his mate, but then again weren’t his feelings just as overwhelming? If for whatever reason Keith were to disappear from his life, would Lance continue to defy death? There was a strong part of him that felt he’d been waiting for Keith, that the reason he couldn’t let himself move on was because there was someone out there that was waiting for him too.

And Keith made all that time seem worth it.

It hurt him to think of what Shiro must be going through.

The stool next to his scraped against the floor as someone sat on it, startling him from his thoughts and for a moment he thought that Keith was back only when he turned to look, he frowned in disappointment.

A woman, with a sultry smile, long blonde hair and legs for days was leaning against the bar, her gaze fixed on him. He leant back subtly and smiled uncertainly at her. She giggled into her hand.

‘Long time no see, Lance.’ She said. Uh oh. He had no idea who she was. ‘Last I heard, you were dead.’

‘I was, I am… it’s complicated… but I’m sorry, do I know you?’ He looked over his shoulder towards Pidge for help but she was hunched over her laptop, her face so close to the screen that the tip of her nose was millimetres from touching it, but it was clear by the wide eyed vacant stare she was a lost cause for now, and Hunk was busy at the other end of the bar. 

He was on his own.

She gasped, pressing a hand to her chest in offence.

‘You forgot me Lance, I’m hurt, I was sure I left an impression, you certainly did.’ He didn’t like what she was implying at all, he nervously shifted away but then she snorted before laughing loudly, enough to draw attention. ‘Your face! Relax, I’m just kidding.’ She leant her elbow on the bar and rested her chin on the back of wrist. ‘We used to party together sometimes, you sure were fun for a mortal, but I guess you’re not mortal anymore considering it’s been fifty years and here you are as young as the day I last drunk you under the table.’

He can’t get a get a good read on her, but he does find himself relaxing despite this and he smiles.

‘Yeah, a lot has happened, and I’m definitely a different person then I used to be.’

‘Oh,’ She quirks a perfectly trimmed brow and smiles impishly, ‘I’m sure you haven’t changed all that much.’ She tucked a strand of hair behind her pointed ear. ‘I have an idea, let’s catch up, we used to be really good friends and it’s a shame that we lost contact.’ She gasped, clapping her hands together as an idea occurred to her. Lance can feel a trickle of anxiety rising up and he cast another glance over his shoulder, Hunk was gone, probably in the kitchen, and the only part of Pidge that was moving were her fingers flying over the keyboard of her laptop. ‘There’s this party over in the Tostra Plane, one of the Pleiades is throwing a party and everyone knows they throw some of the best parties, ambrosia a plenty and enough debauchery to accommodate any sinner.’ She giggled; her head tilted in a way that meant she was looking up at him through her eyelashes. ‘What do you say, Lance?’

That sounded like a terrible idea, was his first thought. Maybe under better circumstances and with Keith at his side he might have thought differently but to be honest, he wanted nothing more than to go home, slip into some of Keith clothes, snuggle in with a book and wait for Keith. 

‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’ He said slowly, averting his gaze nervously. Her eyes narrowed and her smile – thought it looked the same – had a more calculating lilt to it.

He didn’t like it.

But before he could look away properly, his gaze caught on hers and stuck there, her irises appeared to swirl like smoke in a glass ball and it was hypnotic and as he watched, a fog began to descend over his thoughts. He wanted to shake his head to disperse the feeling but he was struck by her gaze.

‘Come to the party with me, Lance?’ It was phrased like a question, but it certainly didn’t sound like one.

No. Is what he wanted to say but when he opened his mouth to say it, what he said instead surprised him.

‘Okay.’ Her smile grew.

‘Perfect! We’ll have so much fun, Lance, just like old times.’

‘Yeah. Just like old times.’ Lance found himself repeating.

What the hell are you doing? He shouted at himself through the fog in his mind. Fight it! You don’t want to go with her! But she felt so… safe and warm… no… he could trust Nyma… but you don’t even remember her… but he didn’t remember Pidge or Hunk either and he trusted them… don’t do it…

‘Shall we go then.’ She stood and took his hand and he let her, she pulled him to his feet and he followed her to the door, the entire time she kept her gaze on him, her eyes unblinking and steady, ignoring the voice screaming at him in his head.

This was a bad idea… but why was it a bad idea again?

He wanted to look back, call to Pidge, or Hunk, but Nyma was talking and Lance had to listen.

The moment they stepped out in the alley, a figure peeled away from the wall they’d been reclining against, he was tall, and had his long arms buried in his pockets, and when Lance glanced down he saw hooved feet. The guys had a lazy smirk on his face as he appraised Lance.

‘Oh, hey Lance, it’s been a while, man.’

Lance had no idea who he was. But Nyma answered for him, her hand still wrapped around his.

He hated it.

Only a little while ago Keith had been the one holding his hand, his tender touch stroking over his fingers lovingly.

‘Lancey Lance doesn’t remember us Rolo, can you believe it, so I invited him to the party, maybe we can jog his memories a little.’ She finished with a little giggle.

‘Aw man, that really sucks, I have some fond memories of our partying days, we came to a lot of the Mcclain after parties, it was a real shame when you died, but I’m happy to see that it wasn’t permanent.’

Inner Lance had no choice but to watch this all play out, helpless to whatever magic Nyma was weaving with her smoky eyes, dread pooling in his gut the longer they stood there.

Eventually, Rolo pulled out a trinket and crushed it in his grip, and when he opened his fist a swirling mass expanded to cover a portion of the brick wall opposite the door, it was a gate and through it he could see a clearing surrounded by dead trees and a sky that was blood red.

Turn back… find Hunk and Pidge… don’t go with them… please…

Lance grit his teeth, the fog was heavy and the strain of trying to wade through it was painful, he broke his gaze away from Nyma’s with a gasp.

‘I… no… I should…’ He tried to say, but then his face was yanked back and he was looking directly into Nyma’s eyes again, the fog slammed down and the voice telling him to turn back faded into the nothing and helplessly Lance followed them through the portal.

On the other side, there was complete silence, until Nyma dropped his gaze, clearly agitated.

‘He resisted my charm.’ She whispered hurriedly.

‘Relax, it happens, but we got him through didn’t we.’

The longer Nyma looked away from him the more the fog began to lift and the moment he was able his thoughts slammed back into focus. He blinked around the clearing, then took a quick glance over his shoulder.

The portal was gone.

‘Take me back now.’ He demanded. Nyma and Rolo both startled and turned to look at Lance was was slowly backing away from them.

‘Oh. That was quick, he broke free from your charm.’ Rolo quirked a smile at Nyma. ‘You’re losing your touch, Nyma. 

Nyma folded her arms across her chest petulantly and pouted. ‘It must have something to do with whatever he is.’ She argued, dismissively.

Lance wanted to turn and run except he had no idea where he was or how to get back, he was stuck who knows where with potential kidnappers and Keith had no idea he was missing, wouldn’t know until he got home and Lance wasn’t back.

Oh gods. He needed to get back.

‘I said take me back.’ He repeated.

‘Sorry Lance, but we can’t do that, you see, we owe some very powerful people a few favours,’ Rolo began to explain. ‘And all we have to do is provide them a few immortals and then we’re off the hook. It’s nothing personal, and I hate to do this.’

‘We weren’t lying when we said we used to hang out a lot,’ Nyma chimed in, her voice buttery smooth. ‘You were a lot of fun for a mortal, we were genuinely sad when we heard you’d died.’

‘But you’re not dead anymore and we have no idea what you are, the Galra have a big interest in unexplored powers, which means you’re worth a lot, and I’m sure once we hand you over it’ll be enough to clear our debt.’ Rolo finished explaining with a small apologetic shrug, as if any of the was enough to justify what they were doing.

‘Are you fucking kidding me? If you hand me over, these Galra arseholes are going to be the least of your worries.’ Keith would look for him and he had no doubt he’d figure out who took Lance, Keith was stubborn and relentless, and if he could smell Lance while he was in another plane, he was definitely going to be able to track down these two.

And Keith had already warned him how far a werewolf would go to keep their mate safe.

‘Sorry Lance, we already promised them something, and you are it.’ Nyma said in a sing song voice. ‘Oh, and here they come.’

Lance spun around just in time to see two figures emerging from the a mist, he took a step back as they approached, both were tall and bulky, with pointed ears and blood red eyes, and when his gaze caught on one of the men’s eyes, his upper lip lifted into a snarl that exposed gleaming fangs.

Lance turned and began to run, Rolo and Nyma doing nothing to stop him because they knew his attempt at escape would be useless, he’d barely managed to make it to the other edge of the clearing when one of the vampires appeared before him, and before he could do anything else, the other dropped on his back knocking him to the ground.

He kicked and thrashed but it was no use, it was like kicking at a wall, they were unmoving and it was effortless binding Lance hands behind him and chaining him up. He was hauled to his feet and turned around just in time to see Nyma and Rolo waving at him as they disappeared through another portal.

His only chance of escape… gone, he sagged in defeat in his captor’s grip just a sack was placed over his head.

I’m sorry, Keith, I think I’m breaking my promise.

*** 

Lance had no idea how long they travelled, fortunately for him it wasn’t possible to get tired or sore so he had no trouble keeping up, even if he did occasionally trip and stumble in his blinded state. 

‘Are we there yet?’ Lance asked, making sure to sound as whiny as possible and as expected he received a groan in response, he’d like to say they were being unreasonable but to be fair Lance had been repeating the question over and over like a kid stuck in the back of car on a long journey.

‘Why is he so annoying, I’d rather he kick and struggle then listen to him any longer.’ The one holding his chains said.

‘It’s an art.’ Lance said airily.

He thought he was doing a good job of keeping his fear under wraps, of disguising his panic as humour… and he wasn’t going to lie, it was a little fun every time he successfully annoyed them.

But the thing was, Lance was helpless, he tried to use his magic and though he could feel it stir somewhere inside, it couldn’t get it out, it was blocked, stirring in agitation just under the surface, matching his frustration.

‘So… are we there yet?’

‘Actually, yeah.’

Oh.

Not good.

He was kicked forwards, almost tripping over his feet at how unexpected the blow had been but one moment he was stumbling over gravel and the next his footfalls sounded tinny, as if were walking on metal floors.

‘I can’t wait to wash our hands of this idiot, he can be someone else’s headache.’

‘Maybe we can request that we sit in on one of Haggar’s examinations when they finally put him on the table, hearing him scream will make up for all this bullshit we’ve had to put up with.’

Haggar? He’d heard her name a couple of times now, it sounded as if she might be in charge around here, wherever here was.

He was pushed forwards again and he grumbled under his breath but began moving, he heard doors swish open and close, he heard footsteps passing them by and murmured greetings between his captors and others.

One more door opened and Lance was pushed through roughly and then the bag was violently ripped from his head and he blinked, his eyes adjusting to the dim light. He looked around, his captors already leaving, their backs turned, the doors sliding closed behind them.

‘Hello?’

Lance startled badly and quickly looked over to a darkened corner, where a figure stepped into the only available light source. Her hands were tied like his and she looked tired and teary eyed, markings that were similar to Allura’s framed her purple eyes.

‘Hi.’ Lance offered gently in return, not wanting to spook the Fae.

‘Are you a prisoner too?’ She asked, her voice wobbly. With a half-hearted smile, he turned to reveal his bound hands to her.

‘Yup.’ He said lightly. ‘I’m Lance.’ He introduced himself with a smile, she eyed him nervously before returning his smile, her lips trembled.

‘I am Romelle.’ She murmured.

‘Have you been here long, Romelle?’ She shook her head, her long pigtails flipping back and forth with the motion.

‘I arrived just before you did.’

‘Do you know where we are?’ He asked her.

‘I…’ She glanced around nervously. ‘I think we’re in Galra territory, more specifically, in Haggar’s research facility.’

‘Ok, Romelle, I’m going to be completely honest with you, I have no idea what any of that means for us.’ She gave an odd look.

‘Everyone knows who the Galra are, and who Haggar is.’

‘I’m new to the immortal scene, so you’re going to have dumb it down for me.’

‘Oh okay… um… Galra bad… Haggar evil—’

‘Less dumb.’ Lance quickly interrupted with a pointed look. She flushed red and smiled apologetically.

‘The Galra are a group of vampires ruled by the mad vampire king Zarkon, Haggar is his Bride and his head researcher, this facility is hers to do with as she pleases and I don’t know what her intentions are by gathering so many immortals and studying us but you can bet it’s nothing good.’

Lance absorbed the information, not that he knew what to do with it now that he had it, but it was better going in with some idea of what was happening then clueless like he had been.

‘Truthfully speaking, I let myself get captured.’ Romelle admitted, her shoulders slumped forwards as she hugged herself tightly. ‘My brother went missing some time ago and I was able to find information that pointed me here, but the only way in is to be a prisoner.’ She bit her lower lip. ‘And now I’m beginning to think it was a stupid plan because now that I’m here I have no idea what to do, or how to escape should I find Bandor. I’m… I’m scared.’

Lance wanted to reassure her, to offer some hope but honestly, he had no idea what to do. He had no idea what to expect.

He wanted to laugh, he finally has a second chance at life and he ends up in a torture facility… and the cherry on the top was that it was right before a full moon.

What was supposed to happen come the full moon? What kind of ordeal would Keith go through now that Lance was missing again? And what would happen to Lance when his cycle started, it was already unclear to begin with, but now, in an unfamiliar place, he had no idea and you know what, he was scared too.

They both jumped, Romelle gasping loudly when the door behind Lance slid open again. Lance spun around and took a few steps back in alarm, bracing his feet, and placing himself in front of Romelle.

‘Oh, how nice,’ Said a female guard, her long red hair flicking over her shoulder as she titled her head. ‘The test subject are getting cosy. Seems like such a shame to separate them now.’ She giggled, but there was something manic in the way she did. Lance edged backwards, wary. He and Romelle weren’t quite touching but he was close enough that he could almost feel her trembling.

Another guard appeared and Lance’s eyes widened when he took stock of her size, she was massive, muscles bulging under the material of her uniform, and was so tall she had to duck to enter the room.

‘Where’s the fun in putting them together.’ Her deep gravelly voice was a direct contrast to the red head voice who had been jovial and light. ‘Besides, they won’t be far from each other, so every time Haggar’s done with one of them the other can see exactly what she’s done to them. You take the elf girl, I’ll take the lanky one.’

Given that she took up so much space there wasn’t much room for Lance to retreat without squashing Romelle into a corner so he was quickly grabbed by the shoulder and roughly yanked forwards, he stumbled once over his feet before quickly straightening up. ‘Get walking pretty boy, you’re new home for the foreseeable future is waiting.’ With one last glance at Romelle who looked as if she were trying to disappear into the corner as the lithe red head vampire approached her with an amused grin, Lance was guided out of the room.

He was led deeper into the facility, he could hear Romelle stifling sobs as she was led behind him, but he couldn’t focus on that because he was trying to remember the route, it was convoluted, turning so many corners, it almost seemed like a maze, how any of them made it around without map he didn’t know but it seemed like a good idea to take note anyway… just in case.

Eventually they were being led down a set of stairs, two guards stood on either side of a door, that was sealed up with a collection of security checks. An ID badge swiped though the slot by the door, a thumb print on a small screen, a retina scan, a code… and on it went, making Lance wonder why they needed so many measures.

When they finally entered the room, Lance immediately understood why. A long passageway that seemed to stretch endlessly, and on either side were countless cells. Being of all sorts separated from freedom by purple electrified shields, the hum of electricity was all he could hear.

He looked into the cells as he passed by, there didn’t seem to be an end to the types of beings he saw, he was unfamiliar with the immortal world so he didn’t have names for any of them but he didn’t need to know about immortals to recognise the broken vacant looks on some of their faces. Some were still defiant, hissing aggressively, and spiting insults at the guards as Lance was led past.

He passed by a cell with only one woman in it, she was tucked into a corner, her head lowered against the knees she was hugging to her chest, except it was at that moment as Lance was passing by that she looked up, obviously disturbed by the vitriol going on around her.

Blue met blue and Lance was struck by the strangest sense of familiarity that swamped him. The woman stared incomprehensively before her eyes blew wide open and she was suddenly standing at her shield. Why was her face so familiar? Her skin was the same shade as his, she had shoulder length brown hair, and her eyes were so familiar that Lance could have sworn he was looking in the mirror.

‘Lance?’ He heard; her voice tinged with disbelief. ‘Lance!’ She said again, this time it was a scream. She punched her shield frantically as they continued to lead Lance away, he looked over his shoulder to keep her in sight, _needing_ to keep her in sight. He saw her stumble, her body convulsing from touching the buzzing shield but despite the pain she must be in she continued to scream his name, he struggled against his bonds, desperate to answer her cries but he didn’t … he couldn’t remember… but she was important to him, he felt that but… he couldn’t recall.

Damn it!

He gritted his teeth and listened to her shouts until he was forcibly dragged further down the hallway and her wrecked voice was too faint to make out. He didn’t bother to observe any of the other immortals passing them by, too busy trying to shake his brain for information long buried, but maybe it was useless, maybe the memories he’d lost to the void were gone forever.

As lost to his thoughts as he was it came as a surprise when they came to a stop, he jerked forwards and then stumbled back by the sudden jarring yank of his chains and Lance shook himself back into awareness and looked around in confusion.

‘Your new home pretty boy.’ His guard sneered, laughter in her voice. She reached up and slammed her fist against one of the columns of the cell, the body lying on the bed with their back to them didn’t even flinch, nor did they turn to investigate, either they were fast asleep or they didn’t care to turn.

‘Hey witch scum, you have a new roomy.’ She prodded, putting extra emphasis on the word witch. At this though there was a reaction, a long-suffering sigh that stretched for an eternity before the person pushed themselves up to face them.

He looked remarkably human, no physical traits that gave anything away. He was also unfairly handsome, even if he did look dirtied and dishevelled. His ash brown hair was hanging limp to his shoulders, his deep brown skin was marked with dirt and what might have been flecks of dried blood. The guy folded one leg over the other and leant back on his hands, a picture of ease despite their circumstances.

‘Zethrid, I know you were dropped on your head a few too many times as a child but repeat after me, and we’ll do it slowly so you can keep up. S-O-R-C-E-R-E-R. I am a Sorcerer, far more powerful then a mere witch.’

A sorcerer? Why was that familiar?

‘Whatever, you’re all the same to me, worthless and weak.’ She reached up and pressed her thumb against a screen on the column she’d punched, there was a beep of approval and the shield dropped. His hands were unchained, and he quickly whipped them round to his front, holding them to his chest. He was unbound but around his wrists he still wore heavy cuffs that glowed menacingly against his skin.

Zethrid then shoved him forwards and he went with a punched-out sound of alarm, he turned quickly in time to see the shield rise between them, scowling up at her smug face.

‘Get comfortable newbie, you’re going to be here a while.’ Her laugh was dirty and grating, her fangs glinting dangerously in the purple glow of the shield.

She moved on, her laugh echoing down the hall as she went.

The red head was waving mockingly into the opposite cell before following and Lance saw Romelle standing as close to the shield as she could without touching it, looking nervously at a woman sitting against the wall, her head hunched over, her face covered by her inky black hair, not acknowledging her new cell mate at all.

The moment Lance came back to his senses he immediately grappled at his choker. If he could take it off and go back into ghost form, he could pass through the shield unhindered. Except as if fingers skimmed over the metal, he became suddenly aware that were the clasp once was, was now smooth all the way across. He’d never thought to check after putting it on and Allura had never mentioned that he could never take it off once it was on… but then again for what reason would he want to remove it.

It would be pretty damn useful now though.

Allura seemed to know so much about his fate, how could she have not seen this coming?

His hands fell away, dropping to his side uselessly.

How was he going to get home? The image of Keith returning and realising that Lance was gone tore him up inside. The broken expression on Keith’s face when Lance had finally returned from the darkness was forever seared into his memory. Damn it, and Lance had promised, he said he would always find a way back to Keith… but how?

He didn’t know.

‘Hel~lo.’ He jerked back when a hand was waved in front of his face, he blinked up at his cell mate in confusion who was looking at him with an arched brow. ‘You with me now.’

‘Uh… yeah, sorry.’

‘Don’t worry about it, it’s some pretty shitty circumstances you’ve found yourself in, and you look young.’ He said, voice laden with sympathy. The guy dropped down onto the cot again with a sigh. ‘But, this is exciting, it’s the first time I’ve had roommate since being here, Haggar must be running out of room if she caved to given me some company.’ He waved a hand in the direction of the opposite cell flippantly, he glanced over his shoulder quickly, Romelle was huddled in the same place as before, arms wrapped tightly around herself. The other woman hadn’t moved at all. ‘Krolia has been my only company for the last two hundred years or so, I lose count, and she isn’t much for conversation.’ He offered airily.

He was strangely cognisant for a man that had been imprisoned for so long but Lance was kind of grateful for it because he found himself relaxing, just a fraction, but enough to distract him from the pain of thinking about Keith.

‘Oh, how rude,’ The guy laughed, bringing a hand to his chest. ‘I haven’t even introduced myself yet, I’m Adam, King of the Sorceri and of Suggestion. And you are?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!


	13. Chapter Twelve - Let The Hunter Become The Hunted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay, this chapter was seriously kicking my butt, I rewrote it several times before finally getting it right so I hope every one likes it!! 
> 
> Most importantly I have read and cherished every comment I've received for this story and my others, you guys are seriously my reason <3

The lead had been a bust. An old contact that had sworn he’d seen someone that fit Adam’s description, except the old contact had switched allegiances, lured by the promise of power, prestige and whatever Galra promised fools these days, and an ambush had been waiting for them.

How foolish of them to pick a fight with two werewolves two days before the full moon.

Keith was just washing the viscera from under his fingernails when Hunk called.

He’d answered with a distracted hello, phone tucked between his ear and shoulder while scrubbed at a stubborn speck of blood that had stained his cuticle, but it was quickly forgotten when he heard the panic in Hunk’s voice. He sat up straight and felt the tightening around his heart like a barbed vice grip pressing in, that made it seem as if it were physically impossible to draw in breath. A litany of apologies spilled through the speaker, but the words meant nothing when all Keith could hear was… _“Lance is gone”._

Lance was missing.

Dread and fury fought for dominance inside his mind and body, his wolf clambered and clawed its way close to the surface, the proximity of the full moon making it difficult to rein him in. He managed it just barely, but it wasn’t enough to save the phone in his grasp, it cracked and shattered in his fist, cutting off whatever Hunk had been saying.

He dropped it to the floor, already forgotten. He needed to get back now, Lance’s scent would still be fresh, he should be able to follow Lance’s tracks before it disappeared altogether.

‘Keith?’ He paused, already halfway back to the designated portal point, he looked over his shoulder and Shiro stilled, his confusion cleared as his eyes widened when he saw the look on Keith’s face. He couldn’t confidently say he knew what it was Shiro saw, his thoughts and feelings were too riotous for him to decipher. Whatever it was, it was enough to convey the urgency of the moment. ‘What happened?’ He asked in his no-nonsense voice. He closed the space between them with just a couple long strides. The moment he caught up, Keith started walking again, Shiro keeping pace easily. 

‘Lance is gone.’ He choked out with a growl; the echo of his beast hidden in his voice. 

Shiro stumbled in his shock, Keith didn’t wait for him to get his bearings so Shiro had to jog to catch up.

‘What do you mean he’s gone?’

‘Gone.’ Keith ground out, unable to offer more than that. He was being ripped in two directions, the most pressing was finding Lance, and fast. The bestial side of him wanted to rip something or someone apart, right now that unfortunate target was Hunk.

Hunk had promised him that Lance would be safe with him and now, Lance was missing… but… the part of his brain that was still capable of rational thought, tucked under all the mess of rage and fear, did its job to dissuade him.

Hunk was his friend, a part of the small pack he’d been unconsciously forming with them the last few hundred years, it wasn’t his fault that Lance was missing, he was working, and the bar could get busy, Lance was an adult, he could have just stepped out and gone for a walk… or… or…

‘Stop thinking the worst before we know the whole story.’ Shiro reprimanded.

‘You and I both know I can’t help it, my mate is unaccounted for and we’re a couple of days away from the full moon, wolf brain is fully engaged and until I know Lance is safe it’s not going to settle for anything.’

He picked up the pace but stopped just before going through the portal that had come to life as they approached it, handy waypoints that allowed for free and fast traveling through the limitless planes, not all planes had them given that some were uninhabitable, hostile or just strict on who came or went. He turned to Shiro again with a frown.

‘What about Adam?’ Keith asked roughly, it wasn’t a question of whether Keith was going to choose one over the other, he was going to go back to the bar regardless, a mate always came first, but Adam was Shiro’s mate and he didn’t want to risk losing his brother too. Shiro shook his head with a sad smile.

‘We have a better chance of tracking Lance down with fresh tracks, this lead was just another dead end,’ Shiro ran a hand over his face, shadows stark in the planes of his face. ‘Right now we have a better chance of finding Lance.’ And then Shiro pushed Keith through the portal and walked through after him.

They came out into a narrow alley at the edge of the city, the swirling portal painted onto the wall sealed up the moment Shiro finished stepping through. With a quick shared nod, they took off through the streets of Havana reaching Hunk’s bar in record time.

He was just about to barge into the bar when he stopped short. Lance’s scent. It was only slightly faded, but it curled around him like a familiar blanket. It was fresher than the one leading into the bar, the notes of warm contentment still shifting through it where he’d been tucked against Keith’s side only hours ago. With a hand still pressed against the door, he slowly looked over his shoulder, following the trickle of his mates most recent trail, now noticing that it was tainted with anxiety and fear.

Whatever small hope he had that Lance had simply gone for a walk evaporated. Lance had been scared.

He pushed away from the door and followed the scent, except it led him straight towards the alley wall before cutting off abruptly, the way it vanished so suddenly only set off the wolf anew. He touched the wall, running his fingers over the grainy surface, looking for anything that stood out. As far as he knew this wasn’t a designated waypoint. He knocked; it was just a normal brick wall. He stepped back and when he heard the crunch under his heel, he paused. He looked down and lifted his heel with a frown.

Brow furrowed, he crouched to get a better look before gesturing to Shiro to take a look.

‘What is it?’ He asked as he joined Keith, he squinted at the remains of a translucent green stone and the dented gold setting it had once sat in. A portal stone. Freshly crushed and in this state, there was no way of knowing where it led.

But he did recognise the delicate design of the filigree, even as bent out of shape as it was.

Balmeran Wares, a shop ran by a demoness, Shay. She crafted and supplied magical items and remedies to immortal clientele. Her portal stones were popular, quick travel from almost anywhere which saved on the time it took to find the way points, only down side was that they could only be used once since they needed to be crushed to activate a portal.

‘You think it’s connected to Lance?’ Shiro asked. Keith wanted the answer to be no, he wanted to believe it wasn’t because if it was, then Lance could be anywhere. But…

‘I think so, it was used recently, and Lance’s scent disappears here,’ He pointed at the wall. ‘A portal was opened and Lance went through it, but he didn’t go through willingly.’ Shiro sighed, as if, just like Keith, he had been hoping to hear differently. The last bit of hope that Keith had shrivelled up and sunk to the bottom of his stomach like a dead weight.

‘So, its’ likely he was taken then?’ Shiro murmured quietly, confirming what Keith already knew. He got to his feet, his breath coming in short angry bursts, he paced once, twice and then a third time before roaring ferociously into the air, and then he turned on the spot and threw a punch at the brick wall that separated him from Lance.

The brick shattered under the force of his fist, red dust billowed out, and crumbled chunks dropped to the floor at his feet. The cracks splintered out from the point of impact, but it wasn’t enough so he punched it again, and again, so close to knocking the whole thing down before Shiro finally stepped in, taking a firm hold of Keith by the shoulder.

Immediately, Keith spun to throw a punch at his brother, but Shiro caught his fist and pulled him into a hug. Keith struggled but Shiro was stronger, holding Keith firmly until Keith calmed enough to listen to reason.

‘It’s not too late.’ Shiro was telling him. ‘We still have a solid lead. We’ll talk to Hunk and then we’ll see Shay, don’t give in to the wolf yet.’ Shiro dropped his forehead against Keith’s, unperturbed by the way Keith snarled in his face. He cupped the back of Keith’s head, the sadness and fear he felt for his brother leaking into his scent, which was enough to break through to him, reason filtered in and he heard Shiro’s words. ‘Remember Keith, patience yields…’

‘…focus.’ Keith finished for him on a sigh. The snarl in his voice faded into something more human like. He dropped his head onto Shiro’s shoulder. ‘I don’t want to lose him.’ He whispered, his voice wrecked with emotion.

‘I know.’

It took a few deep breaths and a steady hand on his shoulder before Keith dared walk into the bar.

Immediately, his gaze zeroed in on Hunk. The big guy looked small, he was hunched over the counter, face buried in his hands, looking as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders, and when he looked up and saw Keith, fear swept over his expression.

What remained of Keith’s anger towards Hunk swept away like a leaf in the wind. He looked miserable, the stark sadness and guilt in his expression was harrowing, and Hunk’s pain paled in comparison to Keith’s but it was clear he was hurting too.

In the time since Keith had made them aware of Lance’s continued existence, it was clear that Hunk and Lance had been close, and even though Lance’s memory was gone, it was as if they’d known each other a lifetime. There was an understanding between them, a kinship.

And as much as Keith had wanted to hurt Hunk when the news had first been broken to him, he knew he never would. Hunk was his family and it looked as if he was hurting enough already.

The scrape of a barstool followed by the squeak of sneakers interrupted their silent standoff when Pidge planted herself between them, her arms spread wide.

‘If you’re going to be angry at Hunk, then be angry at me too, I was sitting right next to him and I didn’t even notice the moment he left.’ She was breathing hard, her eyes wide and fearful. And it hurt to see them so afraid of him, he got it, wolves were known to be volatile when anyone hurt their mates.

And maybe any other werewolf would have mauled them by now, holding them accountable, they were supposed to have kept Lance safe for him, they promised he’d be safe in their care and yet…

Keith had a strong bond with these guys, pack level bond even… besides, Lance would hate him if he hurt either one of them.

He stepped towards Pidge, not stopping even when he saw her flinch, he ignored the way her throat bobbed nervously, and the way she took a single shaky step back. He came to a stop in front of her, his pre-moon height made it so that he towered over her, massive compared to her tiny frame. She dared to glance up, her eyes shimmering suspiciously, and he hated it.

He didn’t think he’d ever seen her cry before and to see it now because she honestly believed that Keith was angry enough to kill her.

Keith was angry, but he knew it was irrational to be angry at them.

He sighed heavily before grabbing her by the arms and pulling her in for a hug. She gasped, frozen for a single moment before she sagged against him with a shaky sob and wrapped her arms around his waist, her small shoulders shaking. He held her tightly, and looked over her head at Hunk who was shuffling awkwardly by the bar, looking all kinds of lost and sad. A sad Hunk was almost worst then a sad Pidge. So, while still holding Pidge with one arm he held the other one wide in invitation, and Hunk, with a wobbling lower lip, swept in, catching both Keith and Pidge in a tight hug.

‘I’m so sorry Keith.’ Hunk warbled into his shoulder. ‘Things got busy and I swore I wasn’t gone for long but by the time I was done, Lance was gone.’

‘And I was sitting right next to him.’ Pidge added, her voice muffled from where she was buried between them. ‘How do I not notice anything?’ Keith suspected that Pidge had most likely been on her laptop, and most of the Bar patrons knew that Pidge was oblivious to everything when she was typing, it wouldn’t have been hard.

But he couldn’t blame them for this, they had no way of knowing that someone would try to take Lance from right under their nose. And right now, more than anything, he needed his friends, so he held them tight, through all the shaking and the sobbed apologies.

Keith was angry, but never at them, his wolf would argue but his wolf was also manic with rage that Keith was working double time to restrain. He needed a clear head if he was going to find Lance which meant his wolf was going to have to take a back seat for now. 

**_Once we track down our mate’s Kidnappers then they’re all yours._ **

Keith promised the wolf. A pleased growl crawled up through his mind before the bubbling rage turned down into a simmer, not gone, but temporarily placated.

It’ll have to do.

He pulled away from them, prompted by the urgency of finding Lance and settled at the bar, to show them the used Portal stone that he’d found outside the bar, Hunk took it from him to get a closer look and frowned once he realised.

‘This is… Shay would have had nothing to do with this, she would never…’ He stammered desperately.

‘That’s not what I’m implying.’ Keith quickly interrupted.

Shay was… well, she was to Hunk what Lance was to Keith, that was clear to see when you witnessed them together, but things worked differently for Demons.

Similar to a werewolf they had a mate, except they called it their Half, Demon’s considered themselves incomplete until they found their soulmate but they didn’t have the absolute certainty a wolf had, for them it wouldn’t be clear until they consummated their relationship.

And Demons had been wrong before and Hunk was terrified that if they tried, that nothing would happen, that Shay wouldn’t be his Half, that he wouldn’t be hers, so he put it off and now they pined from a distance. As an outsider, it was frustrating to watch but it wasn’t anyone’s place to rush him, and it wasn’t as if Hunk and Shay didn’t have all the time in the world to decide.

‘I thought we could stop by her shop and see if she remembers who she might have sold this too?’ Keith offered delicately. ‘I figured you’d be more comfortable with me approaching her if you came with me.’ Keith suggested, Demons, if they suspected someone might be their Half, were almost as protective as Werewolves, it was polite to ask permission to approach an unclaimed Half.

Especially when Keith was on the verge of barely restrained rage.

‘You don’t need my permission, man, I trust you around Shay. I’ll stay here and reach out to some of my connections, maybe someone has heard something.’ He offered and Keith nodded, that was a good idea.

‘And I’ll start scrying. I code when I’m nervous, so while we were waiting for you to come, I created a new scrying spell, once I’ve uploaded it I can reroute it and use the Mortals satellite technology to send out a strong continuous magical pulse, it’ll ping once it finds anyone matching the search parameters I’ve added.’

‘Pidge, that’s amazing.’ Keith marvelled. Pidge knew she was a genius so it was uncommon for her to look bashful when her work was complimented, but right now she was either too tired to put in her usual level of smugness, or she was still nervous around Keith, either way she shrugged her shoulders lightly and smiled shyly.

He sighed, not liking this cautious way she was acting around him. He dropped his hands on her shoulders and leant down to look her in the eye.

‘You’re being weird, stop it.’ She scoffed, but even that was half hearted. ‘Seriously, I know you guys are blaming yourselves but I’m not –’

‘I bet your wolf is though.’ Pidge slipped in, her eyes grew wide as if she hadn’t intended to say that, she dropped her gaze to the floor and nibbled on her lower lip anxiously. And Keith sighed deeply.

‘Look, my wolf has the emotional range of a potato, he’s either angry, hungry or horny at any given time, sometimes at the same time… but he’s not in charge here, I am, so stop looking at me and seeing the wolf. I’m not going to hurt you; you guys are my friends and I need you now more than ever.’ Pidge’s eyes glistened but she quickly scrunched up her face and scrubbed at it with her sleeve.

‘Ok,’ Pidge nodded, ‘Ok.’ She took a deep breath and this time when she looked up at him her gaze held that familiar steely determination she put into everything she did. ‘Let’s find Lance.’

He met her gaze with a pleased smirk and then she was running over to her laptop. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and when she opened them again, they were glowing a bright amber. She cracked her fingers before letting them fly over the keyboard with renewed energy.

With one last nod at Hunk, who offered a small smile in return, he turned to Shiro.

‘Let’s go.’

Shay’s shop, unlike Hunk’s bar, was on the main street. It was unassuming and mortals tended to overlook it – though that may have had something to do with the charms that gave any mortal that considered entering an overwhelming urge to go home regardless of whatever plans they had had that day. 

Those very charms, talismans and totems, that chimed and clattered prettily in the slight breeze, decorated the front of the store giving it a very whimsical feel. To a mortal, they were just pretty decorative adornments that dangled charmingly at the store front of the quaint local spiritual store.

A chime rang through the shop when Keith opened the door, announcing the presence of a customer. He scrunched his nose up uncomfortably when he was hit with the pungent scent of burning incense. He was sure it was supposed to be soothing and welcoming but to a werewolf it was overpowering. Since a werewolf relied heavily on their sense of smell, it can prove disorienting when a single scent overwhelmed their senses.

Shiro coughed lightly into his fist, the scent just hitting him as he followed Keith in.

Shay, the gentle Earthen Demoness, pushed aside the beaded gossamer curtain and came through into the room. She blinked at them in surprise before smiling warmly.

‘Shiro, Keith, how wonderful it is to see you, though it is unusual to see werewolves so far from their dens so close to the full moon… how can I be of help to you.’ Her smooth softly spoken tone made Shay a likable immortal. Keith himself wasn’t very close to her, but he knew enough from Hunk’s mooning to know she was trustworthy.

‘Sorry to drop by so suddenly Shay,’ Shiro offered politely.

‘My mate has gone missing, taken from me,’ Keith offered more bluntly and harried, foregoing the slow show of politeness for immediate answers. He pulled out the crooked setting and what remained of the stone from his pocket and placed it on the counter between them. ‘Whoever took him, used this to escape.’

Shay gasped, placing a hand over her heart as if his pain hurt her too. She reached for the setting and barely glanced it over before sighing sadly.

‘Yes. It is one of mine. I am deeply sorry it was used for a purpose as vile as this.’ She looked up at Keith. ‘How do you fare?’ She asked.

‘I’m handling it.’ He said dismissively. ‘Do you remember who you sold that too?’ He prompted gruffly.

‘I craft and sell many Portal stones, too many to possibly remember every customer, and since they do not expire there is no telling how long ago I sold this particular stone.’ Disappointment was like a heavy weight settling on his chest, his beast was clamouring brutally at the back of his mind again, feeling and reacting to his disappointment. ‘But,’ Shay continued thoughtfully, unaware of the internal struggle happening inside of Keith in that moment, ‘I can find out where it was designated to lead the user.’

‘Do it.’ Keith ground out, shaking his head to clear the haze of his ire. Shiro smacked his shoulder and Keith bared his teeth at him before turning back to Shay with a reproachful frown. ‘Please.’ He added through his teeth.

What followed was a small ritual that involved more incense, some strange smelling fluid, parchment and a secondary undesignated portal stone. He watched as Shay wrapped the remains of the old setting in parchment that had been soaked in some strongly scented solution. She placed it down on the counter, and gingerly picked up a stick of incense, she waved it over the wrapped setting until she had built up a small plume of lavender coloured smoke, that settled around the object in an almost unnatural manner. She put down the stick and leant over the smoke to blow into it.

The smoke swirled rapidly, patches lighting up like lighting within a storm cloud, but it didn’t disperse like he expected it to. Instead it swirled closer to the ball of parchment, until he realised it that it was getting drawn into the yellowed paper, words he couldn’t read getting burned into the material until the smoke was entirely gone and all that was left was the wrapped broken portal stone, the parchment now littered with what had to be demonic lettering.

Carefully, Shay unwrapped the setting and smoothed the parchment out on the counter.

‘Oh good,’ She said with immense relief in her soft voice, ‘it worked. I was worried there would not be enough stone fragment to get an accurate reading. But I now have the coordinates which I shall set into a new portal stone for you.’

Keith held the finished stone in his hand, careful not to hold it too tight but tight enough that it wouldn’t slip from his grip… he passed it to Shiro, not sure he could trust himself not to crush the thing by accident.

‘And another for the return journey.’ Shay said, handing it straight to Shiro this time. ‘I know you must be in a hurry,’ Shay said before they could leave. ‘But Shiro, may I ask how the amulet I gave you has been treating you?’ Shiro, in an unconscious gesture reached up to touch his fingers against the pendant that never left his neck, the Wolfsbane charm designed to keep the wolf docile. It was never on display but if you were ever looking for it, you would see the outline just under his top, above his heart.

‘It works like a charm Shay, I haven’t felt or heard a peep from my wolf since I put it on.’ He assured. This made Keith wince, his wolf could be a nightmare sometimes but to supress it with magic seemed cruel but he reasoned that it was better than losing Shiro, he didn’t think he could stand it if Shiro was overcome by the beast. But would that happen to him if he didn’t find Lance? Unless… He eyed the outline of the pendant under Shiro’s shirt thoughtfully.

Shay smiled softly but her gaze was filled with concern.

‘Shiro, if you remember, I mentioned it was never meant for long term use, the extended use may have a negative effect on your wolf and your mental wellbeing.’ She warned.

‘I know,’ A hundred years worth of tiredness seeped into his voice, ‘but it has to be better than the alternative. I accepted the risks a long time ago, I’ll deal with it when the time comes, but please don’t let this play on your conscious, Shay, it has been a tremendous help to me.’ 

‘…very well, please be safe, and I pray that you both find what you are looking for.’

Keith nodded awkwardly in thanks while Shiro thanked her with a smile. 

He followed Shiro out of the store, thoughts busy and biting his lip as he went. He stopped just as the door clicked closed behind, Shiro walked on unaware of Keith’s hesitation until he realised Keith was not next to him, he stopped to look back at Keith with a questioning lift of his brow.

Mind made up, Keith told Shiro to wait for him and slipped back into the store. Shay was cleaning up the ritual items when Keith stepped back in, she smiled.

‘Keith? Was there something else I could help you with?’

‘That amulet you made for Shiro? Just in case I don’t… could you make one for me? There’s only two days until the next full moon and I don’t want the wolf to take over while my mate is missing, last time wasn’t easy, but this time I’m worried I’ll hurt the people I care about if I’m left unchecked.’

‘Keith…’ She started, hesitance in her voice and in her expression, he rested his hands on the counter and leant forwards imploringly.

‘Shay… please.’ She searched his gaze before dropping her shoulders and sighing.

‘I am reluctant,’ she paused to sweep up the ashes of the still burning incense, ‘but very well, I shall prepare one but I truly hope you never have to put it on Keith, for a normal a werewolf the effects are dismal… but you are no normal werewolf, are you?’

Keith kept his face carefully blank neither confirming nor denying her speculation.

Shay could see more then the ordinary immortal, she had to be to be able to read people well in her line of work to ensure her wares were not misused, so he wasn’t all that surprised that she knew something.

‘I understand the consequences and I accept them. Can you have it ready before the full moon?’ He asked, his voice steady, giving nothing away.

‘I can have ready by this afternoon.’ She promised.

‘Thank you.’ He bowed his head quickly before turning on the spot but before he could leave, Shay called after him. He looked over his shoulder, one hand on the door handle.

‘I would be most grateful if you could pass on the name of the culprits so that I may refuse them should they come heer again.’ Keith’s smile was anything but friendly, all teeth and eyes flashing threateningly.

‘Sure…assuming there’s anything left of them after I’m done.’ And then he ripped open the door and left.

Shiro was waiting where Keith had left him. He shot Keith a look but he chose to ignore the obvious question and instead gestured to the new portal stone. Shiro gave him one long narrowed look before sighing deeply and nodding his head, resigned.

They found a nearby alley and once they’d made sure that the coast was clear, Keith crushed the stone and a spark lit up on the face of the wall opposite them before a swirling mass stretched out before them.

Keith passed through first, closely followed by Shiro.

They came through to a clearing in the middle of a wooded area, it was misty and eerily silent, unnaturally so. He shared a look with Shiro before walking towards the centre of the circle but stopped when a familiar scent wafted past his nose. It was faint but he could taste the panic in it.

Lance.

He turned his head to follow the trail before other scents caught his nose, also familiar ones, he’d picked up on them outside the bar, but he’d dismissed them since it wasn’t uncommon for Rolo and Nyma to be at the bar… but what were the chances that their scents would be here alongside Lance’s?

Slim.

His lips lifted into a snarl. So, he had possible culprits, good, but for now, he had a scent to track.

‘This way.’ He growled to Shiro. And took off after Lance’s fading scent.

Rolo and Nyma never went further than the clearing but Lance hadn’t been alone when he’d been taken. Iron tainted scents curled around his mates and a new sense of urgency filled him, urging him on faster.

Because Vampires had Lance.

That was the worst possible scenario.

He raced through the trees, Shiro hot on his tail, led by the nose, hating the taste of fear and uncertainty that marred Lance’s beautiful stormy scent.

And then, just as suddenly as it had disappeared in that alley outside Hunk’s bar, Lance’s scent abruptly vanished. Again.

He skidded to a stop, desperately sniffing at the air for something, anything and when he couldn’t pick anything up, he roared in frustration. He dropped to his haunches and let his head fall between his knees, eyes staring blankly at the floor. He could feel the wolf trying to take over again, telling him that he would find their mate, that he would track down his kidnappers and make them pay.

And Keith was so, so tempted, if anything so he could remain blissfully free of this heartache trying to tear his chest apart.

This is what he’d been afraid of. All those years dreading the day he’d find his mate, because werewolves were hopelessly devoted once they found them and finding Lance had made him forget, he’d been so blissfully happy, heart so full of joy and… and love.

And Gods, he loved Lance, his beautiful mate with a scent that brought him to his knees and a heart so big and full of life that not even death could keep him.

But Keith had failed… he’d failed to protect Lance, failed to be there when Lance needed him most, he’d failed his mate. 

He sucked in a deep shuddering breath, tears prickling his eyes even as his wolf thrashed for control, he barely felt it when Shiro rested a comforting hand on his back.

‘It’s not over Keith, Pidge and Hunk are still looking, we’ll find another lead, please, Keith.’ Shiro sounded wrecked, and in some sane part of his brain he wondered how all of this was affecting him. Was it reminding him of when Adam had first gone missing?

What if he too spent the next few hundred years looking for Lance? Becoming a shadow of his former self as nothing but his search for his lost mate consumed his every waking moment. It had happened to Shiro, the strongest werewolf he knew, he’d seen it happen to the most steadfast of wolves… losing your mate was to lose yourself.

He understood now though, he understood why Shiro never stopped looking. The idea of giving up on Lance was inconceivable. Never, he’d never stop searching, even if he had to subdue his wolf to stave of the madness. He would do it. For his mate.

Following Lance’s scent may have led to a dead end, but he still had another lead. He looked up, eyes flashing violet as he and his wolf came to a silent agreement. He got to his feet and started towards the clearing again, ignoring Shiro’s questions to focus on the scents surrounding Lance’s. Memorising for them for later.

He sped up, going from a stalk, to a jog until he was flat our running towards the clearing, Shiro struggling to keep up with him. When he finally made it back he inhaled deeply.

Rolo and Nyma. A Satyr and a wood Nymph, together, but not exclusive. They’d crossed paths on some occasions but since they practically lived for partying and Keith hated it, they didn’t cross often.

‘Open the portal.’ Keith said the moment Shiro caught up.

‘Are you going to tell me where we’re going?’ He asked, getting the stone out and ready.

‘You’re going back to Pidge and Hunk,’ Keith replied and then he flashed Shiro a dangerous smile. ‘I’m going hunting.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!! Hope to see you in the next chapter :) x


	14. Chapter Thirteen - Your Possession Is My New Obsession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance deals with some trauma but also picks up a new skill and Keith deals with an enemy and makes... a potential ally?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait!! I've been super busy but I finally found time to just sit down write this monster chapter - 8700+ words 😂 
> 
> **A warning for bloody and violent situations and some sexual content (no klance smut this time, sorry!!)
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to the tumblr user who reached out to me about my fics, it was exactly the nudge I needed, thank you!! 😁
> 
> I hope you all like this next chapter!!

Lance lay curled in a foetal position in the centre of the lumpy cot, his back to Adam, who after several failed tries of trying to communicate with Lance had fallen silent, settling instead for sitting at the head of the cot like a watchful guardian.

Lance was going through some stuff.

It wasn’t as if he was in pain, he couldn’t feel pain, he wasn’t alive, but something had become disconnected… and he was struggling to process what had been done to him.

He ran a hand slowly over his chest, fingers brushing over the large staples that held his not-flesh together. He grimaced. He couldn’t feel pain, but he was having trouble dealing with that fact that he’d been cut open and violated.

So, he’d met Haggar.

And to put it quite frankly, she was a bitch.

He’d barely settled in when guards came to retrieve him. Adam had protested on his behalf, arguing that Lance had barely been there five minutes, that they should let the poor kid get his bearings, but of course they hadn’t listened.

They’d pressed a button, and Adam, with a strangled cry fell to the ground, body twitching and Lance was dragged out and down the hall.

He’d been too shell-shocked and terrified to fight them as he was frogmarched into a room that resembled something from a horror movie. At first glance, it looked like an operating room, except for the array of tools lining one wall giving it more of a torture room vibe, and the shelves that were filled to the brim with jars of organs and body parts. The dim lighting in the room wasn’t enough to hide the dried blood that stained the floor.

If Lance had been capable of it, he might have thrown up, or cried, or both at the same time. Did all those parts belong to the immortals that were in this facility? Keith said the only way to kill an immortal was with full decapitation, but what was the process of recovery when you were missing a heart, a lung, and oh… was that a tongue?

He did struggle when they strapped him down to a table. First by his wrists, then his ankles, before roughly bracing his head into place so he couldn’t turn his head. He nervously eyed the saws and the tools that were being laid down on metal trays by his head.

This was a nightmare, it had to be a nightmare.

But it wasn’t, because Lance had to be able to sleep to have a nightmare.

Haggar, and he assumed that it was Haggar by the thrum of dark suffocating energy that fell from her in waves that even though Lance’s didn’t need to breathe, the weight of it on his chest was uncomfortable, swept into the room.

She wore a black hooded cloak, her cowl falling over her face and casting a shadow over her eyes, leaving only her gaunt chin and twisted grimace on display. For an immortal, it seemed the years had not been kind to her.

Lance had fallen on old habits of babbling when he was nervous, to distract or delay what seemed like the inevitable, but Haggar was not one to be swayed from her path.

Lance curled up tighter.

It hadn’t hurt him, but he’d been made to watch. A mirror was placed perfectly above him, and with his head braced to the table the way it had been, short of closing his eyes, there was no way for him too look away. But closing his eyes while he was in such a vulnerable position didn’t sit right with him so he tried to keep his gaze on Haggar, though that didn’t mean his eyes weren’t drawn to the movement above him.

He could have gone his entire life not knowing what he looked like on the inside.

He knew he couldn’t feel pain but he had expected it all the same, Haggar must have been expecting it to because she paused and for a moment Lance caught sight of gold eyes from the shadow of her cowl. There was no blood of course and to his surprise he did have organs, as useless as they were.

‘Interesting,’ It was the first time she had spoken since walking in, her voice was cold and scratchy, as if she didn’t use it often, and maybe she didn’t, her powerful presence was enough to illicit and a decent amount of fear in anyone. ‘The subject’s heart does not appear to function, no blood, and he hasn’t taken a single breath since I walked into the room. He also does not appear to feel pain.’ She pushes the scalpel in deeper and when Lance doesn’t even so much as flinch, she clicked her tongue. ‘Pity.’ She drawled, her gaze sliding over to meet his and a feeling, like a chill, ran up his spine. ‘You’re no ghoul, your skin is to preserved, and you’re definitely not vampiric. What are you?’

Lance, for a change, kept his lips sealed.

‘And you were so talkative before.’ She sneered. ‘No matter, your body holds all the secrets I need, and I will uncover them all.’ She jabbed the blade in, it sliced into his stomach and Lance barely hid his grimace, uncomfortable memories tickling the back of his mind. ‘No matter how long it takes.’

She was rough after that. But it was pointless, every time she tore something out of him, it faded away in her hand, no longer fuelled by the magic that made him solid and almost immediately the missing part of him would reform in its original place, and eventually she slammed her tool down with a growl, ordered one of her assistants to staple him up and stormed from the room, her cloak flapping dramatically behind her.

Gentle hands shook him from his memories, and he looked over his shoulder to see Adam leaning over him, his gaze warm and concerned.

‘Hey kid.’ Adam’s voice was soft and soothing, and Lance found himself relaxing despite himself. He wanted to say something back, but he couldn’t find the words, or the energy to do so but Adam seemed to understand. ‘Can I check your chest, your injuries should have healed by now and from experience it’s a lot easier if someone else removes the staples, you don’t want to leave them in for too long.’

Right, they had all probably been through something like this, and it made him sick to think about it, unlike him, he was sure they could feel pain. Lance nodded his consent and let himself get turned on to his back.

‘I’m going to lift your shirt.’ Adam rolled up the hem of his shirt and a made a small sound of approval. ‘Yep, all healed, though this might hurt a bit, they like to dig staples in nice and deep because they’re assholes.’ Lance snorted, amazed he could summon the energy to find humour.

‘It’s fine… it won’t hurt me.’ He murmured.

‘You don’t have to be brave, Lance, it sucks,’ He removed the first staple and Lance didn’t feel it of course, ‘it really, really sucks. They invade the most private parts of you, taking bits of you at a time for Haggar’s messed up experiments, it doesn’t matter that we can regrow them, it’s a violation and it’s ok not to be fine with this.’

By the time Adam has finished and has rolled Lance’s top back down Lance has finally acknowledged the truth.

‘I’m not fine.’ He whispered. Adam looked at him, sympathy clouding his stormy eyes. ‘I don’t want her to do that again.’ He murmured. ‘Why is she doing this to… us.’ He supposed he was one of them now, an immortal, even if he was something unknown. Adam frowned, glanced away, and chewed on his lower lip before sighing, tiredness and sorrow heavy on his breath.

‘That… is a long story but to sum it up in a few words, Haggar is one petty bitch.’ This coaxed more of a chuckle out of Lance, who pushed himself up into a seated position. ‘Or Honerva as used to be known then,’ Adam sighed. ‘I challenged her as one Sorceri to another, I, and a lot of our kin, were concerned for the future of the Sorceri when she became the Galra vampire emperor’s Bloodmate, her loyalties shifted and it wasn’t long before she was offering her own people to the Galra as a source of… nourishment.’

‘So all this…’ Lance said slowly, trying to make sense of it, ‘is because she’s salty about being defeated?’ He asked in disbelief, all the pain she must have caused, all the lives she likely ruined, all her evil machinations in the name of vindictiveness born from her own short comings.

‘A sorceri that loses a match against another Sorceri, is forced to forfeit their magic to the winner, she might have won given the caste of her magic but I may have had outside help.’ Adam admitted with a sheepish look. ‘Help that prevented me from falling completely under her influence.’ He sighed. ‘I’m here because she’s trying to find a way to regain her power, though it’s impossible to reclaim a power once it’s been lost, of course Haggar was never one to be deterred from her path, no matter how destructive.

‘But unfortunately, in her quest to find a way to steal back her lost powers, she got it into her head, and that of her mate’s, that she could do the same to other beings, her mate approved and now the entire aim of their research is to synthesis a way to incorporate other races strongest qualities into the vampires, ultimately, making the vampires, the strongest of all the immortals, an aim they have been vying towards for a very long time. But yes, all this is born from Haggar’s bruised ego.’

‘What would happen if they succeed?’

For a moment, Adam looked grim.

‘Not all immortals wish to coexist with the mortals the way we currently do. The vampires view them as nothing better than a food source, others consider them weak and would have them eradicated simply for existing. But there are protections laid down by the Gods that stop immortals from just wiping out the human race, and as much as I would love to say it’s out of some form of altruism, the simple truth is, Gods gain their power through worship, and as it turns out humans love to worship things.’

Adam sat back, reclining casually against the wall looking unfairly laid back all things considered.

‘Times are changing of course, less people are worshipping, and Gods are falling into obscurity, which is why they don’t get directly involved anymore.’ He sighed. ‘If the vampires, and all other immortals that are aligned with them, get what they want, it could spell trouble for the mortals and the delicate balance that has been built on the groundwork left by the Gods.’ 

‘Then we have to stop them, right?’ Lance said, turning to lean a hand on the cot to face Adam properly. ‘There has to be a way to… right?’ Adan laughed, not cruelly, but still Lance bristled, even when Adam’s expression melted to something sympathetic afterwards.

‘In an ideal world, of course, but more than half the immortals that can oppose them are locked up in this facility, and have been for a very long time, those that still a have any sanity left have lost too much hope.’ Adam glanced down with a deep and sorrowful sigh. ‘Myself included.’

‘So what?’ Lance snapped, indignation pushing down the hopelessness that had weighed him down just moment before. ‘You’re just going to waste away in here, while they get what they want from you?!’ Lance got to his feet and rounded on Adam whose expression remained frustratingly blank.

‘What else can we do?’ He asked, the tone of his voice neutral which only wound Lance even further. ‘These gaudy cuffs aren’t for show you know. I mean silver! Come on. You can bet Haggar made them silver on purpose, she knows I’d never be caught dead wearing silver,’ He gave an exaggerated shudder. ‘These things are designed to keep immortals cowed and powerless, only the wardens, Ezor and Zethrid, can undo them once they’re on and I don’t bet on them just letting us go because we asked nicely.’

Designed for Immortals, huh? Techinally speaking, Lance wasn’t an immortal. He was a ghost, pretending to be alive with a body made of magic… if Lance could learn to make himself corporeal in his ghost form, then maybe he could make himself incorporeal in this form. That was a thought. He looked down at his wrists.

At the beginning, it had been difficult, he’d had to focus on specific parts of himself for a few seconds at a time, or at least long enough to flip the pages of a book, it was a long time before he learnt to become fully corporeal, but what he could manage was always enough. But he only needed to become incorporeal for a few seconds, just long enough for the cuffs to phase through him.

He’d never thought there be a day when he’d be trying to become a ghost on purpose.

‘I haven’t got time to be sitting around,’ Lance said, closing his eyes and focusing on the shape and feel of his wrists. The full moon is coming soon and Keith needs me, I promised him that I would always find a way back to him and I don’t plan to give up just because you have.’

‘Well now… wait. Did you just say Keith?’ The surprise in Adam’s voice was enough for Lance to peek an eye open to see that he’d sat up straight, his face pulled into a mixture of a deep frown and surprise. ‘You mentioned the full moon, so you’ve got to be talking about the same Keith.’

‘Keith Kogane.’ Lance confirmed, closing his eyes to continue concentrating. ‘I’m his mate.’

‘You’re shitting me. That pup found a mate.’ Adam laughed in disbelief. ‘Hold on, if you know Keith does that mean you know…’ Adam paused and it was lengthy enough that with an exasperated sigh Lance opened his eyes, dropping his arms to his side.

‘That I know Shiro? Yeah, I do.’ Adam gaped at him, eyes wide and unblinking and Lance wondered if he’d shocked him enough that he could go back to concentrating without being interrupted again. But just as he was thinking of lifting his arms back into position, Adam jolted up, stumbling ungracefully from the cot as he darted over to Lance, grabbing him by the top of his arms, his grip bruising.

‘Is Shiro ok?’ He asked, desperation in his voice and all over his face. Lance let his impatience slink to the back of his mind as he thought about how long Adam and Shiro had been separated, he knew how much Shiro had suffered from the lengthy separation but he hadn’t thought about what Adam must be feeling.

‘He’s…’ He hesitated, ‘I mean, for a werewolf that’s been missing his mate and been tortured to death for two hundred years he could be worse off,’ He grimaced when he caught sight of the distraught look on Adam’s face and quickly added, ‘but Keith says he’s found a way to keep the wolf at bay by magical means so he’s not losing himself to the beast or anything, though he is dealing with PTSD from his time with the vampires.’

‘Vampires?!’ Adam cried in alarm. ‘That bitch! It wasn’t enough that she had me, she had to go after my mate as well.’

‘You think Haggar had something to do with his capture?’ Lance asked.

‘Oh, I’m sure of it. Shiro was the one that helped me fight her the first time, and don’t tell him I said this but… I would have lost without his help. I wouldn’t be surprised if she wanted revenge on him too.’

‘I heard some guy called Lotor was responsible for his capture.’ Lance said, recalling Pidge’s accusations on the day Allura had given him the choker.

‘Lotor is her son, he’s so desperate for their approval I wouldn’t be surprised if she used that to her advantage to mete out some vengeance. It’s likely she expected him to fall prey to the beast, but I should have known, Shiro was always so stubborn and strong-willed, so if anyone could find a way to resist, it would be him.’

Adam fell back against the wall and ran a hand down over his face, shoulders slumping as if he was finally allowing himself to show some weakness.

‘Sorceri don’t form bonds like some immortals do, but Gods… I miss him so much.’ He admitted with a sad chuckle. ‘Sometimes it feels like a huge part of me is missing…’ He side-eyed Lance with a wry smile. ‘But that stays between us ok, I have an image to protect.’ Lance snorted, shaking his head lightly.

‘Love isn’t a weakness.’ Lance urged softly. ‘For a long time I was completely alone, no one knew I existed, and sometimes even I forgot who I was… and then Keith found me.’ He glanced down at his hand, remembering the first time he touched Keith and the lingering warmth it had left behind. ‘For the first time in a long time I felt warmth, I remembered what it was like to feel happy and content and like my existence had meaning. He gave me something I thought I’d never get to experience again. He made me feel alive.’ He looked up to meet Adam’s gaze, feeling suddenly quite flustered when he saw the light amusement on Adam’s face. ‘At least that’s what it was like for me.’ He mumbled, embarrassed.

‘No, I get it, I’m still kind of reeling at the thought of that runt having a mate.’ A deep growl from the cell across from theirs startled Lance. Adam just rolled his eyes but Lance looked over his shoulder, Romelle, who had been fast asleep against the wall, sat up abruptly with a startled little yelp because the woman who had been sitting in the corner completely unresponsive got to her feet, her strangely familiar silver eyes glaring daggers at Adam over Lance’s shoulder.

‘Oh, calm your tits Krolia, you know I’m secretly fond of your brat,’ Adam said dismissively. ‘Even when he does hide my gold.’ He added under his breath. But Lance had stopped listening,

Her brat? Wait… what? He gawped at Adam then back at Krolia, eyes scanning for similarities, and now that he could see her face it was uncanny how much like her Keith looked, from the shape of their eyes, to the curve of their jaw. Even their hair fell across their face the same way.

But Keith thought his mum was dead.

‘You’re Keith’s mum?’ He found himself asking. Her gaze jumped over to Lance and wow, that was an intimidating stare she had and it was in that moment that he realised he was meeting his boyfriend’s mum for the first time. He straightened up with a nervous titter. ‘Hi… hello, I’m Keith’s boyfriend, Lance.’ She arched a brow and Lance feels like he might be making a fool of himself a little. ‘Um…’

‘How is he?’ She asked briskly, her voice was low and gravelly, though that probably had something to do with disuse and the proximity of the full moon. He noted that Keith had a growl in his voice when he was close to the full moon.

He quite liked it.

But not a thought for right now.

‘He’s good… or at least I hope he is, he was on a mission with Shiro when I got taken, they were following another lead Shiro had found in his search for Adam, you see he’s not allowed to go out alone after the last time he’d gone searching for Adam alone. I’m not even really sure if he knows I’m missing yet…’ He trailed off sadly, biting his lower lip. He looked down at his wrists, at the cuffs. ‘I have to get back to him, I can’t let him go through another full moon alone, not after the last time, I promised him I’d always come back to him, and I don’t intend to break that promise.’ He looked up towards Adam. ‘You can’t have given up all hope of escape.’ Lance implored. ‘Because Shiro hasn’t given up you.’

‘Oh Kid…’ Adam sighed, looking so much older and tired. ‘Ok, so how do you suppose we escape?’ He asked, in a tone that said he was humouring Lance.

‘You said these cuffs were made for immortals?’

‘Yeah…’

‘Well as it happens, I’m not an immortal… technically.’ He said and Adam frowned.

‘But you’re not mortal, you wouldn’t have healed so fast if you were.’

‘No… I mean I was mortal, but then I died.’ When Adam just stared at him blankly, Lance sighed impatiently. ‘To cut a long story short, about fifty years ago I was killed, I didn’t move on like I was supposed to, and I did a lot of boring shit, and then Keith found me.’ A look of understanding dawned across Adam’s face.

‘Oh! You’re a ghost!’ He exclaimed before frowning. ‘But how are you…’ He gestured towards Lance. ‘Alive?’

‘I’m not. This body is a magical construct created by this choker that Allura gave me, it pulled my spirit from the in-between into the physical plane, but to be able to exist in this plane without my spirit getting crushed I needed a physical form.’

‘… I see.’ Adam tapped his chin thoughtfully. ‘I’m not seeing how this will help us now.’ He admitted with a helpless shrug.

‘Like this.’ And then he closed his eyes, and this time poured all of his concentration into the task at hand. He imagined the shape of his wrists, and focused on the weight of holding them up, a physical form didn’t move as fluidly as his ghostly one did, sometimes he kind of missed feeling weightless, about how much faster it was to get places when he could literally float through walls and floors.

Though as inconvenient as it was to actually walk places, he wouldn’t trade it for what being physical had given him.

Keith.

He redoubled his efforts and began recalling the wispy quality of his body, and what it was like to pass through walls as if they weren’t there, to want to hold something close but for it slip through his fingers, he’d felt all kinds of helpless back then, but gods would it be useful now. And why shouldn’t he, the magic may have made this body, but it was still his, right? 

The ringing sound of metal hitting metal broke Lance’s concentration and he snapped his eyes open to the sight of his bare wrists. He looked down between his extended arms, to the floor where the cuffs spun in tight circles until finally falling flat on the ground with one last clatter. He stared. Adam stared. Krolia stared. Romelle stared. And then…

‘Holy crap.’ Adam exclaimed.

Lance looked up and met Adam’s shocked face with one of his own, feeling just as surprised as Adam sounded.

‘I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t expect that to work.’ Lance admitted, ‘it took months before I could even turn the page of a book when I was a ghost.’

‘Great, you’re unbound but … now what?’ Adam asked. They all shared bewildered looks, like the idea of escaping hadn’t actually occurred to them, as if they were still too afraid to hope.

Lance wouldn’t let them down.

These guys had been locked up and experimented on for hundreds of years, kept from their loved ones, so much taken from them. If Lance could help them… then he had to do whatever he could. 

He spun towards the forcefield that kept them from freedom and slammed his palms into it. Arcs of electricity shot out across the purple tinted forcefield from the point of contact. He stalled and looked over his shoulder when he heard Adam’s sound of alarm.

‘What?’

‘That carries enough electricity to kill an immortal, how are you…’

‘I can’t get any deader than I already am.’ And then he threw himself forwards into the shield. He could see tiny arcs trailing up from his hands over his arms, sinking into his skin, he hummed in concern when he felt a tingle of… something just under his skin but quickly brushed it aside so that he could push at the shield. It protested with crackles of wild electricity and a deafening hum of power, but as he continued to push his weight into it, he felt some give. He grit his teeth and just as he was beginning to think it wouldn’t work, he felt the stir of his magic, curling up his spine joyously before thrumming through the rest of him, urging him on, pushing him harder until he was falling through out of the cell and into the hallway.

He straightened and looked over his shoulder, the shield knitted itself back up, glowing violet lines criss-crossing to make a mesh before smoothing over completely into that purple tinted screen.

‘How the hell did you get out?!’ He turned to see a guard staring at him, caught between startled and confused, and Lance stood like a deer caught in the headlights before his body seemed to take over, so just as the guard began to reach for his radio a vortex of violent wind rose up from under Lance, responding to his panic, and he waved an arm out and a gale shot down the hallway hitting the guards in the chest and sending him flying halfway down the hall, there was a loud crack as he landed on his head, neck twisted in a grotesque manner.

He didn’t get back up.

But it wouldn’t be long before he did, so whatever it was that Lance intended to do, he needed to do it quick. 

He turned in the opposite direction, heading towards the door at the end of the long stretch of cells. Curious immortals were rising to investigate the commotion, but Lance couldn’t pay them any mind. There had to some kind of release button for all these cells. The trouble would be getting them to work for him, the complex set of security measures needed to get in would probably apply for whatever the release was, and if the wardens were the only ones that could unlock the cuffs, it was likely they were the only ones that could undo the security.

But he couldn’t stop now, he had to find a way.

Just as he was about to reach the door though, his foot caught on something and he tripped, he cried and caught himself on his hands but skidded across the floor with the momentum he’d had going, he came to a stop just out of reach. He reached up with a gasp, but something grabbed his ankle and immediately got dragged back by the foot. He grappled at the floor in confusion before twisted onto his back and kicking wildly with his free foot until it connected with something invisible.

There was a girlish yelp and Ezor, one of the wardens, shimmered into sight, rubbing her jaw.

‘Wow, that almost hurt.’ And she sounded just as surprised as he did to see her. He dragged himself away from her before stumbling to his feet, backing away as he did. She turned her catlike gaze on him, watching his retreat with open amusement. ‘Now how did you get out of your cell, little birdie?’

‘It was easy.’ He said with a false bravado. ‘You guys really need to step up your game if you plan to keep this many dangerous immortals in one place.’ He glanced back at the door. ‘I bet they’re really thirsty for some revenge, would be a shame if someone were to release them.’

‘Our security is fool-proof.’ She responded, but despite her certainty Lance didn’t miss the nervous eye glance to the side, where a demon had come as close to the shield as he dared, watching their confrontation with keen interest, almost as if he were waiting.

‘And yet…’ Lance trailed off, gesturing to himself with a mocking little grin. Her eyes shot back to him, and her grin was frostier than before.

‘You’re an anomaly, and you won’t escape again.’ She said blithely and then she was in his face. He gasped and took half a step back, taken completely by surprise by how fast she’d moved, but he didn’t get far before she was spinning on her toes and her other foot connected solidly to the side of his head, sending him flying into the demon’s shield.

He landed and the shield bowed under his weight ever so slightly. Once again, the electricity sparked up and out, trailing up from where his hands were connected, he watched curiously as it got absorbed into his arms and then an idea occurred to him.

His magic was singing inside of him, brought to life by the energy in the shield that his body seemed to be absorbing. Without really knowing what he was doing he spun away from the shield but left one still connected and directed his other hand towards Ezor who had gone from looking smug to shocked, leaving herself open.

The magic coursed through him wrapped in the current coming from the shield, leaving behind a pleasant sort of tingle in it’s wake, he saw the spark arch between his fingers just before a bolt of purple lightning shot out towards Ezor. Her eyes went wide but it was too sudden, too unexpected and it didn’t matter how fast she could move because the lightning moved faster.

Her screams echoed down the hall as her body convulsed, he winced but he continued to channel the energy until she couldn’t scream any more. He let go of the shield and the sparks sputtered and the flow slowed to something languid, his magic satisfied. The eery silence that followed was broken only by Ezor dropping to the floor with a harsh thud.

He waited, shell shocked and nervous, for her to get up. But when nothing happened, he edged closer.

Her eyes were wide open, streaked with red from burst blood vessels, her mouth ajar her tongue swollen and bloodied where she’d bitten down on it, the blood had pooled in her mouth and now dripped from the corner of her mouth.

He dropped down next to her with the aim of searching her for keys or something that could help them escape but the moment his fingers touched her something bizarre happened.

He shuddered, and he slammed his eyes closed when he was suddenly overcome with a squeezing sensation that left him feeling off centre and more strangely… breathless.

He groaned when he was suddenly overwhelmed with pain, his head, his chest, his tongue, his entire body hurt. His muscles were spasming and as he pushed himself up from the floor – when had he fallen to the floor? – he found himself twitching, struggling to straighten up. He sat on his knees and grimaced at the coppery taste of blood that flooded his mouth and spat to the side in distaste… and then stared at the glob of splattered blood in confusion.

Wait.

Taste?

Blood?

Pain?

With a frown he looked down at his body and shrieked, his voice nothing like it had been just moments ago, higher, more feminine… Ezor’s.

What. The. Fuck. He scrambled to his feet or tried to at least, his muscles locked up, twitching painfully, no doubt the aftereffects of being electrocuted. His breathes were coming in short choppy pants and that was another thing, he was breathing.

He looked around frantically, spotting his body, lying prone and now currently empty, his eyes were open and vacant and as he stared at it incomprehensively, it began to fade, the magic that made him, unravelling until it was gone completely. The collar dropped to the floor lost amongst the clothes that remained.

It was distressing to see, but… hopefully since the collar was still intact there would be a way to gain back that body. For now, he had Ezor’s body which was… new and currently in a great deal of pain. Was this possession? She had been dead, whatever that meant for an immortal, so did that mean her body had been available for him to just step into? And if he was in her body, then where was Ezor?

Was this something he’d always been able to do but because it had never occurred to him, he just hadn’t? For someone that was dead, it was not as if Lance had spent a lot of time around dead people. Could he possess someone that were alive?

‘Oi, if you’re going to do something, I suggest you do it now.’ Lance jumped and looked over his shoulder at the demon. ‘Her screams wouldn’t have gone unheard and her Bloodmate is a the half Goliath.’

Right. He was in the middle of an escape and he now possessed a warden’s body. He could have his crisis later but for now this development worked perfectly in his favour. He grabbed up his collar and limped the last few feet until he was at the door, her body still twitching, muscles protesting every movement, not to mention how hard it was to move a body that wasn’t his. How long did it usually take for an immortal to heal from deathly injuries? Because none of the injuries that Ezor had, including his swollen tongue which was still steadily seeping blood into his mouth which he was spitting out periodically, were getting any better.

There were just as many security measures as he feared there would be, and the security might have been flawless as Ezor had thought…

…had Lance not possessed one of the two wardens.

He stepped up to the console and peered at it curiously before shrugging his shoulders and pressing his hand to the scanner. It lit up under his hand and chimed positively once his presence was confirmed. A section of the wall opened to the right of him open up, and Lance peered into the dusty alcove where there was a collection of switches and buttons.

But if he had to hazard a guess at which button he needed, it would be the one that was covered with a glass covering and labelled **DO NOT PRESS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES** , in bold capital letters.

He smashed the glass with a quick punch and just as he was about to press the button…

‘Ezor?’ He froze, with his hand still poised over the red button, he looked over his shoulder.

Zethrid. She was looking at him in confusion, her expression cautious but also soft and it took him a moment to realise that she thought that she was looking at her partner. He relaxed his posture and smiled. Zethrid relaxed minutely but eyed Lance’s hand warily.

‘A guard told me they heard screaming, that a prisoner had escaped, you look a little roughed up, my love. I hope you gave them as good as you got?’

‘Of course,’ Lance said, sweetening his voice when he heard the endearment. So Zethrid was the half Goliath mate the demon was talking about. Good. Great. He glanced pointedly at the pile of clothing on the ground. Zethrid followed his gaze. ‘But he’s gone now.’ He added a giggle but Zethrid still seemed nervous, gaze jumping from Lance to the button and back.

‘What are you doing with that button?’ She asked nervously.

Lance’s “playful” smile turned vicious.

‘Prison riot!’ He sneered and slammed his hand down on the button.

***

If one wanted to find Nyma or Rolo, all one had to do was find out which minor God or goddess was throwing the “littest” party. It was never hard to find that information given that immortals loved to party, word always spread fast.

This time, the minor Goddess Sjofn was hosting, which meant… it was going to be that kind of party. The idea of being surrounded by the musky scent of sweat and sex while he was so close to the full moon made him nauseous. Fortunately for him, his wolf’s single focus was finding the person that took their mate from him.

And if that meant he had to traverse a mass orgy fest to find them… so be it.

The inconspicuous building, an old run down looking warehouse, made to look so with the help pf enchantments, in a town that was barely worth remembering, did nothing to hide the thumping beat of the sensuous music, the kind of music that was perfect for building a slow and torturous rhythm of hips grinding… thrusting… despite himself images of Lance spread out underneath him flooded his mind and he growled ferociously, breaking that particular line of thought, turning his irritation inwards towards his wolf.

‘Are you going to get distracted or do I need to take care of our hunt?’ He asked the wolf. He snapped back with bared teeth.

**They’re mine to kill.**

**‘** Then focus.’

He approached the building, nose scrunching up as the heady and intoxicating scent of lust curled around him, uninvited, giving him some insight of what was already occurring inside the building and no doubt the effects of being close to the Goddess Sjofn.

Images of Lance filtered through his head unbidden, laid out across their bed, blue eyes glittering with mischief and want, one of Keith’s largest shirts falling over his broad shoulder, skin golden in the sun that filtered in through their window… he shook his head. He couldn’t blame his wolf that time, the effects of being in Sjofn presence was like being doused in aphrodisiac. A goddess in love and pleasure, she exuded an energy that invited carnal thoughts and the desire to act upon them.

‘Let’s find Nyma or Rolo and get out of here.’ He growled, his wolf was in full agreeance, hungry for the taste of their blood.

He shoved into the club and it was just as he expected it. Scantily clad immortals packed the room, but space didn’t matter here, where everyone was desperate for sex and release, eager hands were slipping under skirts, down the front of pants as they rocked against each other on the dance floor, booths were occupied with writhing forms, of couples, trios or more. It was a sea of skin and sweat and somewhere in this mess was Nyma.

Sitting in a gilded throne, sipping from her goblet, sat the minor deity, her dark hair falling over her shoulder like a cascade of midnight water, her eyes scanning over the crowd keenly, a small satisfied smile pulling at her full lips. 

The immortals that came to these kinds of parties, came for the feeling of euphoria her presence could offer, the release of inhibitions and the heady stream of endless pleasure.

It was most definitely not Keith’s scene, but then again no party was really Keith ‘s scene.

He really didn’t want to scent the air but it wasn’t like he had a choice, so he tentatively sniffed and somewhere in the mess of scents his sensitive nose managed to pick up her scent, he picked on the thread and trailed after it.

Dodging grasping hands and bumping bodies, he found her nestled in a booth, and grimaced in distaste once he realised she was not alone. She had some young thing’s head buried between her thighs. She appeared to be recording it on her phone, moaning and hips gyrating like a bad porn actress in a low budget x-rated film, no doubt to show Rolo later.

He didn’t pretend to understand how their relationship worked but each to their own he supposed.

He rolled his eyes and grabbed a chilled drink as he passed by a table, ignoring the cat call from whoever he’d snatched the drink from, the chill condensation on the glass made it wet in his grasp – perfect.

Once he was in range of them, he rolled his eyes at a particularly drawn out moan and upended the glass over whoever it was that had their face buried in her crotch. There was a was a surprised squeal and the shocked – judging by the leaves and vines braided though her hair – wood nymph shot up from the cradle of Nyma thighs and turned to him with a look of complete outrage, whatever fruity concoction he’d thrown over dripped down over her face dampened the threatening look somewhat.

Not that Keith was intimidated regardless. He bared his fangs and let the wolf visage shimmer across his face long enough for her to recognise an enraged Werewolf, she gasped, grabbed her discarded top and hightailed out much to Nyma’s chagrin.

She blew out an annoyed breath and eyed Keith sullenly.

‘Now why did you have to scare her off for, I was so close,’ And then she looked him up and down with a salacious grin. ‘Unless you plan to take over, I wouldn’t complain.’ As much as Keith wanted to grimace, he kept his expression neutral, even as his wolf clamoured desperately.

**Let me rip her throat out! I’ll make her pay.**

_Wait._

He stepped forwards, resting a knee on the bench between Nyma’s spread legs and her eyes lit up as they roved over him with undisguised hunger.

‘Oh, I heard that the famous Keith Kogane never accepted any offers, does this mean I’m special.’ She tittered demurely, fluttering her eye lashes at him. It made him sick to his stomach. His wolf was salivating at the thought at sinking its teeth into her slender neck. 

**It would break so easily.**

He braced himself with one hand on the table and the other on the back of the bench to hover over her, crowding her completely, creating a nice barrier so no one would see a thing. She bit her lip and Keith barely restrain the glower, he could feel his teeth extending in preparation.

‘It must be my lucky day.’ She purred. ‘I’ve always wanted to have sex with a werewolf, I’ve heard your kind are positively wild in the sheets, but all the ones I’ve had the pleasure of meeting are already mated.’ She finished with a little pout, but her expression lightened when Keith pressed in closer.

She lifted her chin as if she expected him to close the distance and kiss her. This time, his lip lifted into a snarl and she shivered under him.

‘Honestly,’ He said, the growl was back in his voice, his wolf hovering just under the surface, ready, waiting, ‘I’d rather eat dirt then put my mouth on any part of your body.’ He growled cruelly. Her wanton gaze immediately shifted to something deeply offended and she struggled to sit up. But Keith her trapped now; his prey cornered.

‘How dare you! A simple no would have sufficed, you asshole!’ She pushed at him but he didn’t budge. She glowered, her eyes shimmering slightly. ‘ _Move.’_ She commanded, her voice sliding over him like a song. An Enchantress then. That’s how she must have got Lance to go with her without a fight.

But the full moon was right around the corner and with his bestial mind ready to take over, her compulsion magic was useless.

‘You see,’ He continued, pleased by the notes of fear that were beginning to mask her previous scents of lust, ‘I do have a mate.’ He said, sounding almost casual, or as casual as one could sound with a growl that was growing more guttural by the second. Her eyes widened and her heart rate picked up in a way that satisfied the hunter in him. His wolf was positively howling with eagerness.

**Her fear smells delicious.**

_I know._

With a dangerous kind of smirk, he took his hand from the table, bracing himself with the one on the back of the seat, and brushed his fingers over her throat, his claws growing as he trailed them down to the base of her neck. He let them push in slightly and she was shaking now.

‘You might know them in fact.’ Somehow, he was still keeping it together.

**Now!**

_Soon._

Eyes locked with hers.

‘Lance Mcclain.’ He said with deliberate slowness. The moment the name left his mouth the stench of her terror burst across his senses like a blast of ice. It was an admittance of her guilt, the confirmation he needed. She scrambled up the seat, in a hopeless attempt at escape but Keith gripped her throat tightly. She wheezed, grappling at his wrist desperately, her fingernails scratching and digging at his skin.

Her attempts were feeble, and Keith watched her struggle for a moment longer before handing the reins over to his wolf.

**Finally.**

_Try not to kill her permanently, we still need her to find Lance._

**I make no promises.**

Keith grumbled as he wiped the blood from his face with the hem of Nyma’s dress. He left the club with her body dangling over his shoulder, no one paid them any mind, too distracted in their current activities to care about two strangers leaving the club together.

By some miracle, his wolf hadn’t ripped her head clean off. But it was close. Her throat was ravaged so deeply that he could see the teeth marks on her spine. It would take some time for her to heal enough to talk, which was not ideal, but there was still Rolo until then. 

**‘** I was thinking of something along the lines of slicing her throat with my claws. You know flesh makes us sick, and I hate picking that stuff out of me teeth.’ He grumbled to his wolf. ‘And did you have to make such a mess?’

**I spat it out.**

‘How considerate of you.’ He drawled sarcastically. He hiked Nyma further up his shoulder as he headed towards the designated Portal zone. ‘You got blood all over my favourite jacket.’

His wolf’s growl reverberated through his mind and he got the impression he didn’t care about Keith’s favourite jacket.

_Jerk._

Back in Havana, he stuck to the shadows, as he made his way home with Nyma in tow. His back was damp with the blood that had been gushing from her open throat and he was all kinds of uncomfortable.

But apparently his night of hunting was not over.

He stopped just as he reached his gate, hand pressed against the metal, his nose twitching as he scented the air.

Since arriving in Havana a presence had been following him through the streets, they’d attempted to mask their scent but Keith’s senses were heightened so close to the full moon, he was able to pick out the coppery undertones just under the stench of Nyma’s blood easily.

Without looking back, he addressed his stalker.

‘You have five seconds to explain yourself before I rip you to shreds.’ He let the wolf shimmer over his face as he looked back over his shoulder. ‘Vampire.’

For a moment it seemed like he might have to go after them but then he hears the slow footfalls as someone walked towards him, they stepped into the light of a nearby street lamp, first their legs came into view, before more of them was revealed, slender legs, slim waist, cropped jacket, pointed chin and sleek blue hair styled in a short bob.

He didn’t recognise her, but he does recognise the signs of a starved vampire.

Pallid and dry skin, gaunt, hollow cheeks, dark circles under her blood red eyes and she seemed to be struggling for breath.

‘Why are you following me?’ He demanded; upper lip lifted in a threatening sneer.

‘Your friend, the demon who runs the bar, he’s been making enquiries about your mate.’

He narrowed his eyes.

‘Do you know something?’ He spat.

‘…I want to help.’ She said. His brow lifted in surprise, and he watched her, she held carefully still, waiting.

‘You don’t look as if you could help anyone right now.’ He sneered, gesturing to her starved appearance. He saw the way her hands clenched tightly as her sides before lifting her arms to hug herself. He frowned. It was unlike a vampire to display any form of vulnerably. ‘Why do you want to help?’

She averted her gaze to the side, but he didn’t miss the glimmer of pain in her eyes before she looked away.

‘The people that have your mate… are the same ones that have mine.’ She spoke just above a whisper, but he heard her loud and clear.

Of course, there was a chance she was lying… but there was something about her that resonated with him, the pain, the agony, the loss, he felt it all so keenly. And it explained her starved appearance.

For a vampire, finding a mate was akin to coming alive, born with dead hearts that only a bloodmate could awaken but in return they could only ever feed from their mate, all other sources would only cause sickness. For some, the price of monogamy was too much, even for a chance at awakening. Blood was power, but to drink to the quick from too many sources lead to madness. Keith had felled many an addled vampire who was driven mad by the memories of their victims.

To drink from a bloodmate offered sanity, warmth, life… love.

Keith focused his hearing and though it was weak, her heart did beat.

She wasn’t lying about having a mate.

‘How long has your bloodmate been missing?’ He asked.

‘Two months and fourteen days.’

‘How are you still alive?’

‘She’s smart, she stored blood bags for me in case we ever got separated… and though I’ve tried to ration it, I’ve run out. I’m reaching out to you now because I’m not sure I can do this alone anymore,’ She scrunched her face up as if it pained her to ask for help. ‘I have information, I can share everything I’ve gathered over the last few months, but please… even though I’m like this, I can still be of use.’

He weighed his options, inviting a vampire into his home was… dangerous, and there was no saying how Shiro would react, but right now his home would be crawling with werewolves, and she was one vampire. He looked her over, she was no threat in her current state. He sighed. And then nodded at his gate with a reluctant glance.

‘Fine… but if I have any reason to suspect you’re up to something I won’t hesitate to kill you.’

She stepped cautiously towards him, eyeing him warily with her unnerving red eyes.

She kept her gaze locked on Keith as she approached the gate, as if she was expecting him to change his mind and kill her there and then, he watched her with narrowed eyes but before she could pass through, he shot an arm out and blocked the way. She flinched back with a hiss and he snarled.

‘First of all, stay away from my brother, he’s already suffered enough under the cruelty of your kind. Second, don’t go any where I can’t see you, just because I’m inviting you in, doesn’t mean I trust you.’ She inclined her head.

‘You’d disappoint me if you did, trust must be earned.’

‘That may never happen, too much bad blood.’

‘All I want, is to find my bride, she’s all that matters to me.’ She said, he could hear the conviction in her voice and with a sharp nod, Keith dropped his arm and she walked in.

She looked over her shoulder at him.

‘I’m Axca by the way… thank you for hearing me out.’ And then she turned away abruptly and headed towards Keith’s home.

He never thought there would be a day that he would willingly invite a vampire into his home.

‘What the fuck is my life right now?’ He said to no one in particular. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sjofn - pronounced SYO-fen - is a goddess of love and passion, in norse mythology, handmaiden to Frigg. In this fic I've depicted her involvement as more lustful but she is a goddess who endorses love and harmony, in any form, but the mind of a committed person will always turn to their significant other in her presence which is why Keith's thoughts turn to Lance and no other despite his surroundings. 
> 
> Additional information: Nyma is a part nymph and part enchantress, her father was an Enchanter of the Words that fell in love with a nymph.  
>  Zethrid is part vampire and part Goliath, giving her her insane strength. And Ezor is part vamp and part shapeshifter, her mixed birth means she can't transform her shape but she did learn to camouflage her presence. If there are any other characters you curious about let me know and I tell you what I can unless it impacts the plot. No spoilers!! 
> 
> Thank you for reading!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :) x


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